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MEMOIRS 



OP THE 



REV. S. F. JOHNSTON, 



THE 



REV. J. W. MATHESON, 



AND 



MRS. MARY JOHNSTON MATHESON. 

MISSIONARIES ON" TANNA. 



WITH SELECTIONS FROM THEIR DIARIES AND CORRESPON- 
DENCE, AND NOTICES OF THE NEW HEBRIDES, 
THEIR INHABITANTS AND MISSIONARY 
WORK AMONG THEM. 



BY 

THE REV. GEORaE PATTERSON, 

PASTOR OP THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, GREEN HILL, PICTOU, N. 8. 



•♦Weeping may endure for a night."— Psal. xxx. 5. 



PHILADELPHIA: 
W. S. & A. martien; 

PICTOU, N. S., MESSRS. McPHERSON & CO., AND JAMES PATTERSON; 

HALIFAX, MESSRS. A. & W. McKINLAY; CHARLOTTE TOWN, 

MESSRS. LAIRD & HARVEY. 






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PREFACE 



Some apology may be deemed necessary for bringing 
before the public the following memoirs. We do not 
claim for either Mr. Matheson or Mr. Johnston any un- 
usual talents or extraordinary attainments ; their labours 
in the Lord's vineyard on earth were short ; and how- 
ever diligently they may have sown, they were not per- 
mitted to reap. Why then, it might be objected, trouble 
the public with their biographies, when there are so 
many other individuals in the church, whose labours have 
been more extensive and more successful ? To this the 
author would deem it sufficient to reply, that he believes 
the record of their lives is fitted to be useful in various 
ways. In the^ examination of- the. mfemorials' of these 
beloved brethren placed in , hist hands," he hag felt him- 
self instructed and reproved, and as he hopes that their 
influence has b'eei\ to n.ak^ kita a better man 'and a bet- 
ter minister, so he believes he is doing a service to the 
church in preparing them for the perusal of others. 
But in addition he would remark that while these bre- 
thren may have no claim to such a record from the 
church at large, they are entitled to it from the Presby- 
terian church of the Lower Provinces. We hold it to 

3 



4 PREFACE. 

be her duty to hold such in reputation, and to give due 
honour to their memory. In so doing she not only does 
an act of justice, but a real service to herself. She 
brings home to her members an example of what is no- 
ble, and he believes that there is something more im- 
pressive to a church in the lives of her own worthies, 
than of others, even of superior gifts or more extensive 
labours. 

Eut particularly does he consider himself honoured 
in adding to the records of female heroism, which the 
modern missionary enterprise has given to the world, so 
beautiful an instance as that of Mary J. Matheson. 
Her missionary life was short, but while it continued 
few women have been placed in circumstances more try- 
ing, and few have afforded a finer specimen of Christian 
patience, wisdom and heroism. The church which had 
the privilege of presenting so rich an offering to the ser- 
vice of the God of missions, would be faithless to her- 
self, to the interest of survivors, and to the grace given 
her by her great Head, did she not preserve a memorial 
of so lovely an example of devotedness to the cause of 
missions. From her modesty she did not write for the 
press, s©„ that her exce,Uences wem. i:iojt ,g§nerally known 
even in tTae,.l)ii)(Jy'|o^<¥^hjchJsh^' belorj;gfe'(i. ,: But we believe 
that now it will be seen, that we "had entertained an 
angel unaWa'res/^;..J-\/^/;: _;:/";;'}" ';; "',',?'•""" 

In preparing this work it' will be seen that he has al- 
lowed the parties to speak for themselves. It will also 
be observed, that we have made free use of the diaries 
of our lamented brethren. We are aware that some 
caution is necessary in the use of this means of illustra- 
ting character. To be really genuine they must have 



PREFACE. 5 

been intended as secret. In the present instances we 
believe that an examination of the contents of both, 
will show that they were genuine heart studies, with a 
view to personal improvement. Mrs. M. has on one of 
her books the words "intended for no mortal eye but 
my own," while she destroyed much that she had writ- 
ten, and that referring to a most interesting portion of 
her life. It might be a question how far we are war- 
ranted in making public what was intended as secret. 
To this our answer is that the good of survivors must 
be paramount, and we believe that in this view the spi- 
rits of the departed could they now be consulted, would 
concur. 

We are aware, too, that there is danger of erroneous 
impressions from such records. The feelings of one re- 
tiring to rest after the toils of the day, in reviewing its 
events as in the sight of God, are of a peculiarly so- 
lemn nature, and if taken as an exhibition of character 
in daily life would be apt to mislead. Thus in some in- 
stances from the publication of diaries, some of the most 
genial men in the Christian church have appeared to the 
public as men of naturally gloomy temperament. It 
would be easy to make the same mistake in the present 
instances. Such records must therefore be regarded as 
expressive of only one side of character, as exhibiting 
the individual in the act of solemn self-scrutiny, as in the 
presence of his impartial judge. 

It is frequently said that the religion of the present 
day compared with that of past ages is deficient in in- 
wardness — that while more expansive in its operations 
outwardly, it lacks those deep soul-exercises on which so 
much stress was laid by our fore- fathers. There may 



6 PREFACE. 

be reason for the complaint. We are happy however to 
bring before our church two instances of thorough self- 
scrutiny, and deep breathings after God, which will bear 
comparison with the finest specimens of this kind even 
of the Puritan age. And the fact is to us the more in- 
teresting that in both cases these are to be found in con- 
junction with the most earnest and self-denying efforts 
for the good of others — in a manner exemplifying the 
best spirit of the present age, thus showing not only 
their harmony but their mutual dependence — that while 
labour for the good of our fellow men is one of the best 
means of promoting the health of the soul, on the other 
hand, the flame of missionary zeal is best fed by close 
communings with God in secret. 

It is to him, in one view, matter of pain that it should 
have fallen to his lot to present the dark side of mis- 
sionary life on Tanna. But it is well that the church 
should see the shadows as well as the lights of her en- 
terprise — that she may appreciate the self-denial and 
faithfulness of her agents — that she may understand 
the greatness of the work — that she may feel her de- 
pendence on Almighty power, and be stirred up to lay 
hold by prayer of his strength, and that thus when the 
darkness is past, she may learn to give due honour to 
the Sun of righteousness, before whose beams the shadows 
flee away. 

May God bless this effort as a means of advancing 
that cause to which these brethren gave their lives. • 

George Patterson. 
November^ 1864. 



CONTENTS, 



MEMOm OF S. R JOHNSTON. 

CHAPTER I. 

EARLY TEARS. 

PASS 

Birthplace — Parentage — Religious Training — Early Religious Exer- 
cises and Impressions — Conversion — EflForts to obtain Information — 
Desire for the Ministry — Departure from Home — Youthful Character 15 

CHAPTER II. 

PREPARING FOR COLLEGE. 

Feeling on Leaving Home — Residence at Economy — Studying Classics 
—Commences Diary — Religious Exercises — Profession of Religion — 
Self- Dedication — At Otter Brook — Teaching ^ 

CHAPTER III. 

COLLEGIATE COITRSE. 

Difficulties — ^West River Institution — First year's Attendance— Pro- 
gress in Studies — Religious Exercises — Residence in Rawdon — 2dL 
Session — Residence at Noel — 3d Session — ^Extracts from Diary 49 

CHAPTER IV. 

THEOLOSICAL STTTDIES. 

Attendance upon Theological Hall — ^At Princeton Seminary — Corres- 
pondence — Diary — Tender of Services for the Foreign Mission — 
Farther Extracts from Diary 7T 

7 



8 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER V. 

MISSION TO KANSAS. 

vAsa 
Leaving Princeton — Appointment to Kansas as Colporteur — Journey 

Thither — Scenes on Passage — Labours and Privations — Sickness — 

Ketum Home — ^Accepted by Board 94 

CHAPTER VL 

PREPARATION FOR MISSION WORK. 

Studies at Halifax — Printing — Private Religious Exercises — Studies at 
West River — Medical Studies in Philadelphia — Return Home — Ex- 
ercises with a view to Licensure Ill 

CHAPTER VIL 

LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 

Difficulties in the Way of His being Licensed — His Feelings and Ex- 
ercises — Correspondence — Licensure — Renewed Dedication — Home 
Mission Labours — Impression Produced — Ordination — Correspon- 
dence with Stewiacke — Visiting the Churches — Marriage — Diary.... 134 

CHAPTER VIIL 

FROM NOTA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. 

Departure from Nova Scotia — Arrival at Boston — New York — Sche- 
nectady — ^Voyage to Melbourne — Reception There — State of Society 165 

CHAPTER IX. 

PROM THEIR LEAVING MELBOURNE TILL THEIR SETTLEMENT ON TANNA. 

Voyage to the Fiji Islands — Stay There — Wesleyan Missions on these 

Islands — Arrival at Aneiteum — State of Work There — Visit to Tanna 
and Erromanga — Settlement on Tanna 189 

CHAPTER X. 

LABOURS ON TANNA. 

Tanna — Its Appearance, &c— State of Inhabitants — Labours among 
Them ■. 232 



CONTENTS. 9 

CHAPTER XI. 

CLOSING SCENES. 

PAOB 

Sickness among Natives— Attempt on his Life — Last Sickness — Death 
— Character — Remarks 263 



MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

CHAPTER L 

MR. MATHESON's early LIFE. 

Ancestry — Conversion — Studies — Licensure — Tender of Services to Fo- 
reign Mission Board — Preparation for Missionary Labour — Ordina- 
tion — Farewell Address 287 

CHAPTER IL 

MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY LIFE. 

Parentage — Early Trials and Struggles — Teaching — Developement of 
Character — Profession of Religion — Diary — Missionary Work — In- 
tellectual Progress — Sickness — Recovery — Proposal to go as Mis- 
sionary to the Heathen — Marriage and Departure 299 

CHAPTER in. 

FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 

Departure from Halifax — Arrival in London^— Voyage — Arrival in 
Sydney — And Reception There — Voyage in John Williams — Tahiti 
• — Samoas — Arrival at Aneiteum — Impressions — Preparations for 
Settling on Tanna 332 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE TANNESE AND EARLY ATTEMPTS TO EVANGELIZE THEM. 

Population — Appearance — Customs — Dress — Weapons — War — Canni- 
balism — Chiefs — Public Meetings — Gods and Worship — Customs in 
Sickness, at Death and Burial — Strangulation of Widows — Physi- 



10 CONTENTS. 

PAes 
cal Condition — Sense of Honour — First Landing of Teachers — 

Messrs. Nisbet and Turner's Labours — Teachers again Landed and 
again Driven Off — Third Attempt — Teachers again Driven Off — Mis- 
sion Renewed — State of Things at Mr. M.'s Settlement 357 

CHAPTER V. 

FIRST RESIDENCE ON TANNA. 

Settlement — Labours — Progress of Work — Letters — State of Things 
at Port Resolution — Mrs. Paton's Death — Mrs. Matheson's Sickness 
— Removal to Aneiteum 380 

CHAPTER VL 

RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 

Mr. Matheson's Illness — Visit to Aname — Return to Anelicauhat — Set- 
tlement at Umetch — Labours There — Visit of the '* John Williams" 
— Departure of Mr. Inglis and Mr. Geddie's Children — State of 
Tanna Mission — Departure from Aneiteum , 397 

\ CHAPTER VIL 

RESIDENCE ON ERROMANGA. 

Arrival There — Appearance of the Island — State of Mission Work on 
- It — Stay with Mr. Gordon — Improvement of Mr. M.'s Health — Re- 
turn to Tanna 424* 

CHAPTER VIIL 

RESUMPTION OP LABOURS ON TANNA. 

Return to their Station — State of Matters — Resume Labours — Visit to 
Aneiteum — Encouragements and Discouragements 446 

CHAPTER IX. 

TRIALS AND CALAMITIES. 

Introduction of Measles — Prevalence of Sickness — State of Feeling 
among Natives — Mr. Johnston's Death — Hurricane — Encourage- 
ments and Discouragements — Murder of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon-— 
Visit of British Men of War— Church on Fate 467 



CONTENTS. 11 

CHAPTER X. 

CLOSING SCENES. 

PAOB 

Mrs. M.'s failing Health — Birth of a Daughter — Its Death — Hurri- 
cane — Breaking up of Mission at Port Resolution — Removal to 
Aneiteum — Her last Sickness and Death — Mr. M.'s Removal to Mare 
— Death — Character — Remarks 487 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Portrait of Mrs. Matheson, {Frontispiece.) *^ 

Portrait OP Rev. S. F. Johnston 13 ^ 

Portrait of Lathella, a totjng Christian chief of Aneitbttm 216 *' 

Map op New Hebrides 231' 

y' 
Volcano and Natives of Tanna 236 

Native female Dress 251/ 

Heathen Village... 252^ 

Portrait of Rev. J. W. Matheson 286*" 

Native Mode of dressing Hair 359 '^ 

Natives of Tanna 360- 

Spear Thrower .'. 361 

Spear and Arrow Heads 361 

Kawas 362 ^ 

Distant View op Dillon's Bay 427 (/ 




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MKTo SoIFo alFOTilWSTCDiro 



MEMOIR 



OF THE 



REV. SAMUEL FULTON JOHNSTON. 



MEMOIR 



OP THE 



REV. SAMUEL FULTON JOHNSTON, 



CHAPTER I. 

EAMIjY teajrs. 



The Rev. Samuel Pulton Johnston was born on 
the 15th June, 1830, at Middle Stewiacke, Nova Scotia. 
This is an entirely rural district, forming part of a 
valley through which for a length of some twenty-five 
miles flows the river Stewiacke, from which the settle- 
ment derives its name. The inhabitants are principally 
devoted to agricultural pursuits, particularly to the 
raising of cattle, much of the land being what is called 
in Nova Scotia intervale, or generally in the West, 
bottom land, and extremely favourable for grazing pur- 
poses. His father's farm lay on the left bank of the 
river, in what is commonly called the Middle Settle- 
ment, from its position, between what is called the 
Upper Settlement near the head, and the Lower, near 
its junction with the Shubenacadie. 

Both by the father's and mother's side he was de- 
scended from emigrants from the North of Ireland, of 
that class usually known in America as the Scotch 

15 



16 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

Irish. These sprang from settlers who at various eras 
passed over from Scotland to the northern Province of 
Ireland, and have there retained all the religious pecu- 
liarities of their fatherland, perhaps even somewhat 
intensified. Wherever they have gone they have been 
marked by a sturdy strength of character, strong but 
almost rugged piety, and all the sterner virtues of life. 
Circumstances in the state of Ireland about the middle 
of the last century led large numbers of them to emi- 
grate to the United States, where they have distin- 
guished themselves by their industry, energy, and 
moral worth. Among others Mr. Johnston's great 
grandfather emigrated to New England, where part of 
his family, among others Mr. Johnston's grandfather 
were born, and whence they shortly after removed to 
Nova Scotia. By his mother's side he was descended 
from persons of the same class, who had emigrated to 
this Province direct from Ireland. In religious profes- 
sion his ancestors had been not only thorough Presby- 
terians, but Seceders of the strictest type, and for several 
generations had maintained a reputation , for superior 
piety, his great grandfather, his grandfather and three 
of his brothers, his father and one of his brothers 
having all been ruling elders in the Presbyterian 
church. 

His parents, Samuel Johnston and Rebecca Fulton, 
are still living, and have been long esteemed as fearing 
God above many. Especially, however, have they been 
marked by diligence in bringing up their family in the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord, following the 
time-honoured mode of family instruction, founded on 
the Bible and Shorter Catechism, characteristic of the 



EARLY YEARS. 17 

Scotch and Irish Presbyterians. For the training thus 
received, Mr. Johnston in his diary frequently expressed 
his deep obligations, and gave utterance to the most 
fervent declarations of his gratitude to the Father of 
mercies. In their worldly circumstances they occupied 
the position prayed for by Agur, of having neither 
poverty nor riches — being in the situation of the larger 
portion of the agricultural population of Nova Scotia, 
of having a sufficiency of all the necessaries of life, but 
having little extra money, beyond what was required to 
furnish the usual comforts of families in middling cir- 
cumstances. 

Samuel, or as he was usually called from his second 
name, Fulton, was the eldest of a family of eight sons 
and two daughters, and the first to finish his earthly 
career, though one sister, tenderly beloved, had been 
called to meet him in the eternal world, before the in- 
telligence of his death had reached Nova Scotia. From 
childhood he manifested an amiable and afi'ectionate 
disposition, and even from his earliest years seemed to 
manifest an interest in divine things. " From a child 
he knew the holy Scriptures which are able to make 
wise unto salvation," and if love to God is a decided 
evidence of genuine conversion, then was he born of 
the Spirit even from childhood. Even before he could 
read his frequent petition to his mother was to read to 
hini out of the Bible, and when but a boy he commenced 
the practice of reading a chapter himself every morning 
before going forth to his daily employments. And as 
to his conduct, he was one of tho^e who like Renwick 
the martyr, might have thanked God that he had been 
saved from the pollutions of childhood. 
2 * 



18 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

He has, however, given us a full account of his early 
years in an autobiography, which we shall now present 
nearly in full to our readers, merely remarking that 
it was first written in his twenty-first year, when he 
had not attended any higher literary institution than a 
common school, but afterwards revised and enlarged. 
We need not, therefore, be surprised to find in it a 
juvenility of style, which will, we doubt not, render it 
all the more interesting as an exhibition of his youthful 
exercises. 

" The first incident of my life which I deem worth 
recording is a severe attack of the croup, in which I 
was brought very low ; so that all despaired of my life, 
and, humanly speaking, I had not lived a single hour 
longer (every symptom of death having been clearly 
depicted upon me) had it not been for a neighbour 
woman, who, as it were, at the last moment furnished a 
remedy. 

" This happened when I was four years of age. It 
has always appeared to me that there were impressions 
made upon my mind on that occasion that never left it 
— that after this event I had a kind of feeling that I 
should and would be devoted to the Lord's service. At 
the age of from six to eight I took great delight in 
hearing the Scriptures read and also entertaining nar- 
ratives. I would plead with my mother to read to me, 
and many are the hours which I have sat and listened 
to her read. Scripture narratives interested me most. 
Often have the tears rolled down my cheeks, as I 
listened to the tale of Joseph's being sold into Egypt 
and the sorrows sufi'ered -there. I was anxious to un- 
derstand what I heard read, and can well remember of 



EARLY YEARS. 1^ 

hearing my parents say, that I had so many questions 
to ask that I was a great trouble to them. I can well 
remember also my anxiety to understand whatever I 
heard. My parents did endeavour to answer my ques- 
tions to a certain extent. But all parents fail in this 
respect* It is not easy to tell what good would result 
from carefully and wisely inciting in the youthful mind 
a spirit of inquiry, to understand and to know the true 
nature of whatever may arrest their attention. 

"I can well remember that at this early age I used to 
reflect much on the nature of sin, especially on original 
sin and the fall of our first parents and its ruinous con- 
sequences. The instructions which I received from my 
parents respecting these topics, made deep and lasting 
impressions on my mind. The remarks and explana- 
tions made upon my little questions, as I used to repeat 
them to them, appeared to have 'made the deepest im- 
pressions, as they are now most vivid upon my mind. 
There is an incident which happened when I was about 
ten or eleven years old, though quite simple in itself, 
yet from its influence upon me I shall here notice. 

" One morning I arose from my bed and immediately 
commenced singing light songs and indulging in levity. 
Grandfather noticed this and reproved me, as nearly as 
I can remember to this efiect : ' Do you know why you 
are alive and well this morning ? Many little children 
like you died last night. Why were you not among 
the number ? Why are you not in eternal burning this 
morning? Many children went there during last 
night.' When I did not answer these inquiries, he 
then told me it was of God's mercy that I was pre- 
served — that he had in kindness brought me to another 



20 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

morning ; and concluded by asking me if it would not 
be more becoming and wise if I now engaged in prayer, 
thanking him for his kindness manifested toward me, 
asking for protection during the day, &c. The im- 
pression made upon my mind never left it. It is seldom 
that I have since engaged in singing any kind of music 
before breakfast and family worship. Even to this day, 
to hear singing or levity in the morning before these 
duties are attended to, strikes a sort of gloom over my 
feelings and appears to be something daringly wicked. 
Thus it is that the youthful mind may be impressed for 
good or evil. 

'' Thus, my time passed- away until I came to be about 
ten or eleven years of age. It was about this period, 
or a little before, that I commenced reading the Scrip- 
tures through regularly. This task I yearly accom- 
plished, reading a chapter daily. My mother usually 
listened to me, and gave such explanations as she was 
capable of doing. From this exercise I have to this 
day derived much profit. It gave me a general acquaint- 
ance with Scripture, which I could not have now had it 
not been for this. I have pauch reason to be thankful 
that I was directed to spend a portion of each day in 
this profitable exercise, which time might have been 
squandered away idly. Besides, who can tell, the 
hallowing, solemnizing, purifying effect of the daily 
reading of a portion of God's holy word and the bring- 
ing the mind into immediate contact with such a foun- 
tain of purity. 

"When at the ages of from twelve to fourteen I was 
more given to the vanities of the world. Sometimes I 
would even feel a hatred to that which was good and 



EARLY YEARS. 21 

holy. Much of my time was squandered away shame- 
fully. My pride was growing. I became more and 
more self-willed. Restraints became more and more 
irksome. Yes, I hated them. I desired to live according 
to the feelings, emotions and aspirations of my de- 
praved wicked heart. At times, when my parents were 
instructing me, setting before my mind the loveliness, 
and desirableness of a life of holiness, my very soul would 
hate those instructions. But I must not neglect to 
mention, that during those very years my conscience 
would forcibly reprove me, at times, for my wickedness ; 
and I would listen with pleasure and in tears to the 
solemn admonitions and instructions of my parents, and 
would desire, and form resolutions, to walk in the way 
of holiness. But I had a hard stony heart, and a 
proud disposition, which would soon lead me away again 
from God, lead me into evil, banish all my good desires, 
and cause me to forget all my good resolutions. I can- 
not but look back upon this portion of my life with 
emotions sad, sad, and feelings of sorrow. God is a God 
of infinite mercy and long-sufi'ering, or He would have 
cut me off in my iniquity. I also look back with sorrow 
upon the disposition I had when young, to disregard the 
truth, to lie, when it would not benefit myself. This 
shows powerfully the corruption of my heart. 

"I remember well the first time that I went by myself 
and bowed the knee in silent prayer to God. I felt it 
to be an awful moment. I felt as if God was near, and 
that I was speaking to him. I felt the exercise to be 
deeply, awfully solemn, and I also arose and departed 
from the place with such feelings. I had a most deep 
and painful inward conflict and struggle, ere I brought 



22- MEMOIR OF ri. F. JOHNSTON. 

my mind to consent to engage in this exercise. I was at 
this time about fourteen years of age. The thought 
that so much of my life passed away ere I bowed my 
knee in prayer fills my mind with deep and poig- 
nant sorrow. I cannot now conceive how I could possi- 
bly live without prayer. I must have been most miser- 
able ! True as soon as I could lisp out in broken ac- 
cents the sentiments of my heart, I was taught to re- 
peat the Lord's prayer, and with clasped hands, would 
by my mother's side repeat it, ere I retired to rest. 
They taught me that it was my duty to retire night and 
morning in secret and to pray to, and make known, my 
wants to God. But they failed to take me into the 
closet and to pray with me, to set me the example. 
Happy and highly favoured are those children, whose 
parents not only teach them prayers, but also take them 
into their closets and secretly pray with them and teach 
them to pray. 

'^ Before this time I used to say the Lord's prayer, and 
child's prayer, and at times would add something to 
them, in my bed. After this, I retired frequently to 
pray. But I was not regular in the daily performance 
of this exercise, which is a most unfavourable indication 
of my piety. I continued on in this way. Sometimes my 
prayers were earnest, sometimes languid and wandering, 
hurried and cool. 

" I felt the restraints which my parents imposed upon 
me to be most irksome, such as never allowing me to 
go from home without permission, and directions as to 
where I should go, how long I should remain, what 
company I should keep, their strict observance of the 
Sabbath, &c., &c. I would contrast my (as I then 



EARLY YEARS. 23 

thought it) hard lot, with that of other children, who 
had no such restraints laid upon them. I supposed 
them to be much more highly favoured than myself, to 
be most happy. But I have since learned that, I was 
the highly favoured and most happy child. Happy is 
that child who learns submission in early youth, that 
has its proud and rebellious disposition subdued. This 
is one of the first and most important duties of parents. 
Let them be most careful in observing it. 

" When I was sixteen years of age, during the summer 
of 1846, we had a young man hired, with whom I worked. 
Feeling a restraint in his presence and not haying a 
good opportunity for secret prayer, I reasoned thus 
with myself. I will be most attentive at the family 
altar, be most anxious that the prayers offered up may 
be answered and always add, "Amen." I reasoned 
myself into the belief that this was quite sufficient. 
This I continued to do for some months. But still, at 
times, my conscience would speak out loudly against 
such neglect of so important a duty, and I would be com- 
pelled, in order to get relief, to retire and pour out my 
soul in prayer, and cry to God for pardon. 

"Naturally possessing a large amount of buoyancy of 
spirits I was at this period of my life, when in company, 
full of merriment and levity. Naturally feeling and 
kind-hearted the young loved .me, and were anxious to 
have my company. Thus I was led to waste precious 
time, was led away by thoughtless company into idleness 
and to acts of folly, but which by the world were de- 
nominated innocent. None reproved *me. I was con- 
sidered to be a consistent, well-behaved youth. But at 
that very time I knew that God was taking quite a 



24 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

different view of my life. And when I now look back 
upon it, my heart is filled with sorrow and sadness. Ah! 
the sins I have committed in the dance, the merry play, 
and in the amusements of the social circl'e. But still 
amidst all these grounds for sorrowing and sadness, I 
have much reason for heartfelt gratitude, that I had . so 
many restraints to draw me away from these soul-ruin- 
ous scenes, viz. the pious instructions of my parents, a 
conscience enlightened by these instructions, and the 
reading of the Scriptures and other books, a love for im- 
provement, a desire to read and obtain knowledge and a 
love for retirement. These influences so operated upon my 
mind, as to keep me from frequently entering these scenes 
of amusements. It was but seldom that I went from home. 
But ah ! when I did enter into these scenes of folly and 
levity, how completely did I throw off all these restraints 
and give myself up to merriment and levity. It is 
wonderful how I could so get rid of all these influences. 
But such is the deceitfulness of the human heart. 
When I retired from such scenes, my remorse of con- 
science would be most deep and painful, and I would 
form resolutions never again to yield to such influences. 
Yes, and I at times would even loathe them. But how 
weak and erring is human strength, how deeply cor- 
rupted the heart. I also must record my gratitude to 
God that it pleased him to place me in circumstances 
not the most favourable for frequent meetings for social 
amusements. I should also observe here another influ- 
ence which must have restrained me and kept me from 
much idleness and folly in which I would doubtless have 
engaged. This was a desire to obtain useful knowledge 
and a love for reading. In this way I used to spend 



EARLY YEARS. 25 

many of my leisure hours and evenings. The profit 
arising from this expenditure of time I now feel to be 
invaluable. Would that I had been more economical of 
my time and more self-denying in my efforts in acquir- 
ing knowledge. 

"When I was about sixteen years of age, I commenced 
a practice of rising between three and four o'clock in 
the mornings. I would then first attend to devotional 
exercises. (I can well remember hurrying over these 
in order to hasten to mental improvement, so great was 
my thirst for knowledge.) I would then read a portion 
of Scripture ; next commit several questions of Brown's 
Second Catechism to memory. After these exercises 
I would spend the remainder of my time (w^hen any re- 
mained) in useful reading. It was during that portion 
of the year, when the nights are long, that I used to 
spend my mornings thus. It was in this way that I 
learned the English Grrammar, with the occasional as- 
sistance of a cousin who lived near. 

"As I grew older, this thirst for knowledge increased. 
My mind was not in my daily employments. Schemes 
for getting education were constantly floating through 
my mind. My parents were poor, and it was but seldom 
indeed, that there w^as a school in the district. Thus 
all things seemed against me, and my prospects dark 
and gloomy. I often used to wonder, why it was that 
I was thus situated ; but still my mind was always run- 
ning in that direction, and constantly anticipating some 
coming propitious day. 

"Preaching always seemed to produce a deep impres- 
sion on my mind. I seldom heard a lively, earnest 
sermon, but I felt in my bosom a burning desire to 
3 



26 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

proclaim the truths of the gospel to those who felt them 
not. Frequently have I listened in tears. 

"When about fifteen or sixteen years of age these feel- 
ings were much intensified occasionally. At this period 
there was a great want of labourers in the Lord's vin- 
yard. The Macedonian cry was reiterated again and 
again, and none responded. Our school of the prophets 
was then lying in ruins. I used occasionally to retire 
and pray in tears, that God would raise up a seminary 
of learning for the training of young men for the minis- 
try, and that it might be his will that I should be one 
of these. Still, that such should be the case, to human 
appearance, there was little reason to expect. Still I 
prayed and hoped, and it does still appear to me as 
though the prayers were sincere and earnest. 

"Thus my life went on, the subject of the most oppo- 
site feelings and exercises of which the mind can con- 
ceive. I should not forget to mention what was my 
closet before this, and long after. It was my business 
night and morning to attend the stock. Thus I had a 
place of retirement in the barn. Many are the prayers 
I have offered up in that barn. 

"In the winter of 1846 I was greatly led away by idle, 
thoughtless company, more so than in any other period 
of my life. When in company I was full of merriment. 
My whole soul seemed to be absorbed in the amusements 
of the company, into which I entered with all the 
warmth, earnestness, and enthusiasm of my nature. 
Thus I was neglectful of prayer, or engaged in it in a 
cold and hurried manner. How depraved is the human 
heart ! How exceeding great the riches of the mercy 



EARLY YEARS. 27 

and love of God in his Spirit to operate upon so impure, 
and unholy, and deceitful a heart. 

"In the spring of 1847 I had an attack of the measles, 
and was long recovering. This led me to greater fre- 
quency and earnestness at the throne of grace. I be- 
came more thoughtful and serious. 

" On the night of the 17th of May, 1847, I was at- 
tacked with palpitation of the heart, the contractions 
an4 workings of the heart being such as to render me 
so weak as not to be able to move. I thought it was 
death, and felt as if I were dying. Well do I remem- 
ber the silent prayer which I offered, on my bed, that 
night, to God. " Lord, if it is thy will that I die, par- 
don my sins through Jesus, and receive me to thyself; 
but Lord, if it is thy will to spare me, I will give 
myself to thy service, to be a servant in thy vineyard. 
Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. I now 
resolve to serve thee, Lord, and be for thee and not 
for another." I cried unto God for strength to resist 
temptation, and for direction to do his will. I informed 
no person of this sickness. After this I had for a long 
time frequent attacks of this palpitation, but I did not 
make it known ; but I had none nearly so severe, and 
they also became less and less severe, and a longer 
period intervened between them. For some time I 
thought it was quite probable that my life would be sud- 
denly taken away in some of these attacks. But I 
never informed any person that I was subject to them. 
It was always my disposition to keep deeply hidden in 
my own bosom all my serious and more important feel- 
ings. It seemed as though I could not make these 
known to others. This, I believe, has been a great 



28 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

injury to myself, and also to others, as to the influence 
I exerted on them. As I felt that this disease would 
soon cause my death, it was the subject of my frequent 
study, why the Lord was going to cut me off in my 
youth, and not spare me that I might be a means in his 
hands of doing good to others. My great desire to live 
(at least I then sincerely believed so) was, that I might 
be useful in His Church and world ; this was my constant 
prayer; and I also asked the Lord, that if he had no 
work for me to do, that he would take me to himself 
from the evil of this world. I meditated much on Psalm 
iv. 8; vi. 4, 5, 39 ; xlix. 17, 18, and such like passages. 
" When I was reduced to a state of weakness, how 
utterly helpless and wholly dependent did I feel, (these 
were my feelings while under that attack), how awfully 
vile and abominable did sin appear to me, and how vain 
and worthless did all the pleasures and things of time 
seem to be. I felt that I would never again sin, love 
pleasure or amusements, or indulge in them again. But 
alas ! how did these feelings vanish from my mind. 
During that spring these viewsand this contrition for 
sin remained, and at times were most powerful and deep. 
Some days I was deeply oppressed and would not even 
smile. At times I felt deeply burdened and oppressed. 
I would resolve to shun every evil way, to live a life of 
seriousness and devotion to God's service. I would re- 
solve never again to give way to idleness and merriment, 
to go into idle company no more. I even sometimes re- 
solved never to laugh again, to live in strict conformity 
to God's word, but, ah ! what a tremendous work I was 
undertaking, how little strength I possessed for such a 
work, how little knowledge, how little real disposition. 



EARLY YEARS. 29 

Nothing could be more hopeless than mj success. I 
was endeavouring to justify myself, to work out my own 
salvation by the deeds of the law. I was not then con- 
scious that such was my object ; but by bitter experi- 
ence and by the teachings of the Spirit, I have since 
learned that such was the real aim of my heart. Oh ! 
what madness and folly. 

"As might be anticipated, I frequently broke my most 
determined and solemn resolves — fell into sin, idleness, 
and levity. These falls would fill me with remorse. I 
would look upon myself as the most weak, erring, and 
foolish of mortals. Sometimes I would begin to despair of 
ever being able to secure my soul's salvation, and would 
be almost tempted to relinquish the effort as hopeless. 

" In June I attended on a sacramental occasion. I was 
deeply affected by the preached word. I felt that I 
should have been among the number of communicants. 
When I came home, I felt deeply impressed with a sense 
of my many and aggravated sins, and my vileness in 
God's sight. I felt as if God was near to me, ready to 
take vengeance upon me on account of them. I used 
to love to go into solitude, and thus to muse on those 
things — to pray to God. I remember, that on one oc- 
casion, I was so deeply impressed with a sense of guilt, 
that I feared to go into the canoe to cross the river. 
(This was a canoe we had for crossing the river to a part 
of the farm on the opposite side. In this canoe I used 
to take the greatest pleasure in sporting about, on the 
waters of that gentle stream with my brother). After 
much hesitancy, I was prevailed upon to venture to 
cross. But I was filled with terror, and trembled, fear- 
ing the canoe would sink, or I would fall into the stream. 
3* 



30 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

I feared to walk near the margin of the river, lest I 
should be drawn into it. How true the Scripture — 
' The wicked flee when no man pursueth.' 'There is 
no peace, saith the Lord, to the wicked.' 

"But still I would occasionally get into light, vile com- 
pany, and drive away all these feelings for a time ; and 
those with whom I associated knew not the hidden emo- 
tions of my bosom, and would not for a moment suppose 
that ever I had been subjected to care or sorrow for sin. 
During this time I thought that I loved God, hated sin, 
and desired to live in conformity to his will. But I was 
deceived. 

" Thus time rolled on until the month of August, to- 
wards the latter part of it. I had been reading the life 
of the Rev. James Hervey. In this memoir, his views 
of justification by faith through the righteousness of 
Christ, and his opposition to legal righteousness, were 
treated of at large. This was a dark, mysterious sub- 
ject to me. My mind could not possibly comprehend 
it ; to the Christian it is most simple and pleasing doc- 
trine. I was much perplexed, and would doubt its cor- 
rectness, and the reading of this book much increased 
my perplexity. 

" One day, as I was in the field mowing, sad and much 
perplexed with this subject, my thoughts on what I had 
been reading, I stopped to whet my scythe. While I 
was thus employed, all on a sudden light flashed into 
my mind — the whole subject seemed clear and simple. 
My own righteousness appeared to my mind as filthy 
rags — legal salvation an impossibility — Christ's right- 
eousness the only hope of a sinner's justification with 
God. I saw and felt this righteousness to be suitable 



EARLY YEARS. 31 

to my soul's wants. I gladly seized upon it as my only 
hope of safety. The Saviour then appeared lovely and 
precious. Then peace and joy filled my bosom such as 
I never before experienced. 

'' This was accomplished suddenly, as if light had been 
flashed into my mind. I can only compare it to the 
experience of an individual in a dark room, famishing 
from hunger and thirst, and longing for the animating 
influences of the light, when all on a sudden light flashes 
into the room, and reveals to him that he is surrounded 
with everything needful to meet all wants. What joy 
and astonishment would fill that bosom ! So it is with 
the sinner. I was astonished at my former blindness 
and folly, and wondered why I could not heretofore see 
the Saviour as thus lovely and precious. 

" Then it was, I believe, that the angels in heaven re- 
joiced over a sinner turning to God and being forgiven. 
I then saw and felt that salvation was of free and sove- 
reign grace- — not the result of good works — that good 
works only flowed from being justified. Then the sin- 
ner is saved; then, as a faithful servant, he labours for 
his Saviour, not from selfish love of reward, but in 
obedience and from love. 

"I feel persuaded, that from this period my whole soul 
and motives were changed ; and though frequently in 
darkness, sin, and folly, yet I could ever after say that 
my Redeemer liveth, and that there is none on the earth 
I desire besides him. But oh, how much danger there 
is of being deceived in the matter of our conversion ! 
So deceitful is the human heart. Previous to this, I 
thought sincerely (so far as I knew my own heart) that 
I loved God, and that I desired to live for him. I would 



32 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

pray much at times, study his word, seemed to love his 
people, his ordinances. Christian instruction, admoni- 
tion, warning, &c. And even now it does seem to me 
that I had real love for these things. But I can now 
clearly see that my great concern about salvation arose 
from a fear of coming punishment. Hence my great 
concern was to free myself from condemnation — not 
from the filth and pollution of sin — not to live a holy 
life because I loved holiness, but because I thought it 
would save me from punishment. I would much have 
preferred to have been saved, and also to have been 
freed from the restraints of the law, and to run on in 
sin according to the lust of my depraved nature. Thus 
I found the law to be a schoolmaster to bring me to 
Christ. I could now say with the Apostle Paul, in the 
7th chapter to the Romans, ^ I delight in the law of 
the Lord after the inward man.' It appears to me to 
be a thing impossible for a person to be converted and 
not to be conscious of- it, though at times he may be full 
of doubts and fears. 

''After this my desire to obtain an education rapidly in- 
creased. It became a subject of daily prayer to God. It 
was my increasing and earnest desire to become a preacher 
of the gospel. My soul seemed to burn with a desire to 

tell to sinners round. 



What a dear Saviour I had found. 

"I was constantly planning with myself respecting how 
I would effect this object so earnestly desired. But all 
these thoughts and feelings I carefully kept to myself. 
My nearest friends had not even a hint of them. 

"In the fall of 1847, one of my schoolmates (R. R. C.) 
died. I was with him the night he died. His remarks 



EARLY YEARS. 33 

to me and another schoolmate respecting the nature of 
death, uncertainty of time, our duty to serve God, and 
his declaration that he only desired to get well, that he 
might do something for the glory of God, made a deep 
impression on my mind, which still remains. As I sat 
by his bedside I felt how feeble we are, how dependent 
upon God, how vain to resist his arm, how helpless in 
death, how uncertain is life, that those only can be safe 
who have their life 'hid in Christ.' I felt that it was 
a fearful thing to die, and how necessary and how wise 
to be always ready for that event. 

" A short time after this the sacrament of the Lord's 
Supper was dispensed in our congregation. I had then 
a strong desire to commune, but my parents rather 
dissuaded me for the time. They thought that I had 
better wait awhile and reflect more seriously upon so 
solemn a step. But they little knew how much I had 
been reflecting upon it, for I did not make known to 
them the state of my mind and feelings. Such are 
some of the evils of so tenaciously retaining feelings 
and views to myself. 

"Thus time rolled on. I think that after this I never 
gave away so much to idleness and levity, though at 
times I did err greatly in this respect, and by so doing 
much retarded the growth of grace in my heart. But 
I became more and more .diligent in the study of the 
Scriptures, more faithful and earnest in prayer, more 
humble and serious. But from the corruption of the 
natural heart, what a great work I had before me, and 
how often was I cast down in doubts, sorrows, darkness, 
and great dissatisfaction with self. 

'*In the spring of 1850, 1 proposed to go down to Lon- 



34 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

donderry, to engage in manual labour. But my real 
design was to endeavour to get a school. I proposed 
to go to hire as a day labourer, as I knew my parents 
would not consent to my taking a school, because they 
did not consider me to be qualified ; neither did they 
wish me to attempt getting an education, as they did 
not feel able to assist me, and they thought I could not 
accomplish it myself, and also, I believe, did not con- 
sider me to be possessed of sufficient mental ability to 
be a useful man in the ministry. For these reasons I 
concealed from them my real design. Under this pre- 
text I got away, and soon succeeded in getting a school. 
This I consider to be a turning point in my life. I 
taught five months, to the entire satisfaction of all con- 
cerned. 

" As I a short time after this commenced a diary, I 
shall not continue this hasty sketch any farther. 

"In conclusion I would state a few impressions which 
from time to time found a lodgment in my bosom. 

" When I was about sixteen or seventeen, I read an 
account of the establishment and progress of the Tahiti 
mission. This made a deep impression on my mind. 
As I read of the condition of the heathen and the efi*ects 
which the gospel produced upon them, I longed to be 
engaged in the work. The desire never after wholly 
left my mind, and upon the whole it gradually increased, 
at times buried amidst the cares and pleasures of this 
life, and at other times working powerfully in my bosom, 
being, as I trust, stirred up by the Spirit of God, and 
strengthened by various external circumstances. There 
was a deep impression on my mind that I should not 
live amongst my friends or have a home of my own. I 



EARLY YEARS. 35 

felt that I would never lead a settled life. When or 
how this feeling came I • cannot now recollect. It is 
long since I can remember of having such an impression 
upon my mind. 

" A desire for travel early throbbed within my breast. 
My imagination was frequently wandering over the dis- 
tant regions of earth, to see which my mind, as it were, 
yearned. 

" There was also an impression on my mind that I 
would not be a long liver. When this came I am not 
certain. I know it was deeply impressed on my mind 
ever after I experienced attacks of palpitation of the 
heart. It still remains, and is as it were to my mind, a 
certain fact, a thing which I anticipate, just as if I had 
been told it would be so. I have reason for believing 
it will be so. All I ask is. Lord, enable me to spend 
my short life actively and faithfully for thee. May for 
me 'to live be Christ,' and then lam satisfied. All 
tvdll he WELL. 

"A few reflections upon the whole and then I am done. 
I feel it to be a profitable exercise thus to review my 
life. It is profitable in that it tends to humble me, 
gives me to see my own weakness, and folly, and my 
dependence upon God, to show me the great work for 
me to attend to even in my own bosom, and to excite to 
greater watchfulness, prayerfulness, in God's service. 
As I am thus employed, I can exclaim in the language 
of Rom. vii. 24, 25 ; xi. 33, to the end. 

" As I review my life, I can discern that the light which 
first shined into my soul was dim. Everything was seen 
as it were enveloped in a mist. My motives though re- 
newed still possessed a large amount of impurity. There 



86 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTOX. 

was SO much of self in everything. I still seemed de- 
termined to have some part in procuring my salvation, 
seemed reluctant that it should be all of grace. My 
faith and confidence in God's promises were weak. 1 
felt and thought that it was by my own doing that I 
should realize their fulfilment, and when I failed, I was 
almost ready to sink in despair. Thus my comfort, joy 
and advancement in holiness were much marred. (I was 
not at the time fully conscious of these errors and knew 
not where the error lay.) I was proud, unconscious of 
the extent of the depravity of the human heart. I did 
not rightly apprehend the use God allowed me to make 
of his promises. From these errors and evils oh how 
much happiness have I lost, how much misery endured, 
how much dishonour have I done to God, and how little 
acceptable service have I rendered to him, and how little 
good have I done to others ! 

"But I have reason to thank and praise God, that 
my mind has been gradually enlightened in respect to 
these errors, and these evils have been lessening. God 
be thanked that such a glorious heaven-born reformation 
has been efi'ected on my soul. 

"I can only add that I also feel it to be a profitable 
exercise to review my life, as it shows my grounds of gra- 
titude to God, causes me to adopt the language of the 
103d Psalm, lets me know what I am, what I have been, 
and how I am dependent on free and sovereign grace." 

In some remarks appended to this above, addressed to 
*' any mortal whose eye might chance to rest upon this 
Manuscript," he says, " I have to the utmost of my 
ability endeavoured to make an accurate and simple 
statement of my life just as known to myself and for 



EARLY YEARS. 37 

my own use. You may if you please, charge me with 
indecision of character, fickle-mindedness, weakness of 
judgment, and such other traits of character as may be 
suggested by this sketch. But this one thing I ask of 
you, viz. to believe it to be a true statement of my life; 
only the extremes and apparent inconsistencies are not 
so great as presented to you as they really were, and 
as I felt them to be." 

We have thus given his autobiography, nearly in full. 
We may remark however that we can scarcely adopt his 
own view of- the time of his conversion. Undoubtedly 
at the period referred to, he attained to clearer views 
of the way of salvation, and a decided advance in spiri- 
tual life. But we can scarcely regard all his previous 
spiritual exercises as merely the workings of natural 
conscience. Even in reading his own account of them 
we have a very strong impression that he was at that 
time under the teaching of the Spirit of God, and 
that whatever of youthful infirmity or natural corrup- 
tion may have mingled with them, they yet afford evi- 
dence that the grace of God was working eifectually in 
producing the fruits of righteousness, which are by 
Jesus Christ to the praise and glory of God. 

We may remark too, that while with the sensitive- 
ness of conscience which marks the regenerate, he here 
reflects in strong terms upon his own conduct, yet it 
was in no respect such as to call for the condemnation 
of others. He was entirely free from profanity or other 
open vices so often found in boys of that age ; and 
though manifesting the usual playfulness of boyhood, he 
was always happy, when the opportunity was afforded 
for retirement to his books, and to quiet thought. 
4 



38 MEMOIR OF S. P. JOHNSTON. 

To his own account we have only to append a sketch 
of his character bj his younger brother, now preparing 
for the ministry, who was his most intimate companion, 
and had the best opportunity of knowing him. 

"The most distinguishing trait of his character from childhood 
up, was his strength of will — his unyielding determination to 
complete whatever he undertook. His disposition was very 
social, and when in company, he was joyous and playful — the 
merriest of the. merry — but when alone, his reflections were 
generally rather pensive, sometimes quite melancholy. His 
standard of morality and religion, even when quite young, was 
high, and hence he was ever criminating himself. Plis mental 
vigour was nothing beyond ordinary, yet he always manifested 
an intense desire for the acquisition of knowledge. This desire 
amounted almost to a passion, and seemed to absorb all other 
desires. Manual labour was always irksome to him, but intel- 
lectual toil was his delight. His emotional nature was strong, 
and in no way did it appear more manifestly, than in his sym- 
pathy for suffering humanity. To relieve suffering, to adminis- 
ter comfort, to promote happiness, in any way, to be a benefac- 
tor, was always his peculiar delight. 

' ' It was at the age of sixteen that he resolved, if Providence 
ever opened the way, he would devote his life to the Foreign 
Mission service. Of this purpose, however, he informed none 
except myself, and to me he only intimated the fact. He would 
have been more frank, but for fear of a want of sympathy. His 
nature loved sympathy, and could not easily brook the lack of it 
on the part of his friends, with regard to his purposes. He pre- 
ferred to keep his views and his purposes to himself, rather 
than meet the opposition which a knowledge of them by 
his friends might incur. This, I think, was the only reason 
why he was so incommunicative on this point. He certainly was 
very frank naturally, and as enthusiastic as frank. ' ' 



PREPARING FOR COLLEGE. 39 



CHAPTER II. 

From tlie letter of his brother, given at the close of the 
last chapter, it would appear that from the time at which 
he considers his conversion to have taken place, he had 
devoted himself to the Foreign Mission work. We can 
scarcely regard his resolution as then so fixed as it af- 
terwards became, but from that time his heart was set 
upon the work of the gospel ministry. The Synod of 
the Presbyterian Church of Nova Scotia had then no 
collegiate institution, and the few who looked forward 
to serve at her altars struggled as best they might, to 
obtain the requisite preparatory education. But in the 
year 1848 the Synod commenced such an institution at 
West River under the charge of Rev. Mr. now Dr. 
Ross, principal of Dalhousie College. This he regarded 
as an answer to his prayers, and he now became ex- 
tremely anxious to go forward with his studies. But 
his parents still discouraged it. His father did not 
deem him qualified, and the difficulties in the way 
seemed too great to be overcome. But hi^ mind being 
fixed on this object, no discouragement could turn him 
aside from his purpose. 

With this object in view, and with nothing to depend 



40 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

on but his own efforts and the support of Him to whose 
service he was devoted, he left home as mentioned by 
himself, to prepare himself to enter the Synod's Institu- 
tion for training a native ministry. Though the de- 
parture of a young man from his father's house is one 
of the most common incidents of life, it is one of the 
most solemn. From his deeply affectionate nature, his 
first parting from his father's family, though but for a 
short distance from home, was keenly felt. He had 
ialready accustomed himself to composition, and among 
his papers of this period we find one entitled, "Leaving 
a Christian home," in which he manifests the strength 
of his feelings by most affectionate expressions of re- 
gard for all the members of the household. 

After teaching for a few months he removed to 
Economy to attend a school kept by a cousin, with the 
view of acquiring such a knowledge of the classics as 
would fit him for entering the Synod's Institution. 
While residing here he commenced keeping a diary, 
which, with various interruptions, he continued till the 
end of life. His object he thus explains under date Jan. 
15, 1851:— 

"This is a plan which I have devised to help me carry through 
my many resolutions to do good. I have long been thinking on 
it, but always failed in commencing it till now. My intention is 
to mark down my shortcomings of the day, so that I may have 
them as warnings for the future ; and also to mark down any- 
thing that strikes my mind forcibly through the day which I 
think will afterward be of use to me. " 

Accordingly we find him subjecting himself to a most 
searching scrutiny, and earnestly struggling to advance 
in the divine life. As it was amid the struggles of these 



PREPARING FOR COLLEGE. 41 

years that his Christian character was formed we make 
no apology for giving copious extracts from his diary 
at this period of his life. 

"Jan. 15. This day I have found the evil of not being strict to 
perform what you promise, and also of promising without conside- 
ration, and resolved to amend in this. This day occupied with 
the things of the world. 

" 17. — I find that if neglectful of prayer once it is difficult to 
find time again for it, or if I let a trifle stop me from it one time 
there are many trifles in the way the next time. 

" 18. — Coolness in prayer soon leads me to view sin with in- 
difi*erence, and also makes prayer a burden. Oh that I could 
perform it in a spirit of fervency ! 

" 19. — The Sabbath. Oh how unthankful am I for all the 
privileges and blessings I enjoy ! This morning I am led to say 
that the more my God giveth me, the less I look to him for 
support, counsel, and direction. How unwilling we are to give 
up with our own works and to look to him alone for salvation. 

"Sabbath. This day I have resolved to join the Church 
on the third Sabbath from this, when the Rev. J. Watson will 
dispense the Sacrament in his congregation. Oh that the Lord 
may give his Spirit to direct me in self-examination, to enable 
me to see myself as he sees me ! 

"21. If Grod were as unmindful of me as I am of him, what 
would be my state ? I have resolved this day not to pray again 
without first considering whether I have any real wants. Oh 
how have I sinned by praying for things which I disregarded 
whether I got them or not ! 

"22. This day has brought forcibly to my mind the great 
blessing I have enjoyed, viz. , that of having Christian parents, 
a blessing which cannot be too highly esteemed. Oh that I 
may be enabled to make a wise improvement of the instructions 
they gave me ! 

' ' 24. From this time I have determined to read a chapter 
every morning, and from it select a verse and commit it to 
memory to meditate on through the day. When evil thoughts 
arise in my mind I will have this verse to engage my attention. 
4 * 



42 MEMOIR OP S. F. JOHNSTON. 

"Held a conversation with Rev. J. Watson relative to my 
joining the Church, from whom I received some excellent ad- 
vice and instruction. Three things in particular he wished me 
to bear in mind, viz., 1st. Strive to increase in knowledge and 
holiness, and for this purpose read the word of Grod daily, and 
have stated times for meditation and self-examination, and let 
not anything deter you from them. 2dly. Be a consistent Chris- 
tian. It was his opinion that the inconsistent members of the 
Church did more injury to her than her enemies, the friends of 
Satan. And 3dly. Remember prayer, and pray with fervency. 
At all times when you pray have a particular request to make. 

"25. Sabbath. Engaged in preparation for commemorating 
the death of Christ, and seeking for a spiritual refreshment. 
Oh it is sin that keeps our Heavenly Father from joining with 
us in sweet fellowship ! Oh that I could serve him in fervency 
without swerving or offending ! 

28. I am astonished when I look back on the way in which I 
have been led ever since I had a being, and the kind preserving 
care which Grod has manifested towards me while I have been so 
unmindful of him. 

"Feb'yS. Oh for wisdom to improve my precious moments 
as they rapidly fly and are no more ! What plan can I devise 
that will help me to improve them. 

" 9. This day I went forward to the Lord's Table for the first 
time. It was with fear and trembling. Yet I have cause to re- 
joice, that I was in some measure enabled to love him who died 
for sinners, to sorrow for my sins, to form resolutions of greater 
diligence in duty. Oh for strength from above to enable me to 
perform them ! I have resolved to devote a while each day to 
meditation on the wondrous works of Grod — his wondrous love 
to man — ^his kindness to me, and the like. ' ' 

SELF-DEDICATION TO THE LORD. 
" 1 Cor. viii. 5 : ' They first gave their ownselyes to the Lord.' 

*' Eternal Jehovah, encouraged by this example and by thy 
gracious promise, 'I will be your Grod and ye shall be my 
people,' I desire now to devote myself to thee wholly, to thee 



PREPARING FOR COLLEGE. 43 

alone, and to thee for ever. Thine I am by creation and by thy 
providential care, and I desire from this time forth to be thine 
by redeeming grace, and by my own cordial and unreserved 
dedication. Though by nature I am a child of wrath, and by 
my practice have too long obstinately sinned against heaven and 
in thy sight, yet now I desire to return to thee from whom I 
have revolted, and to renounce for ever the willing slavery of 
sin and to surrender myself to thy service. I give myself to 
thee, Father, and beseech thee to put me among thy regene- 
rated and adopted children. I give myself to thee, Lord 
Jesus, and entreat thee to" be my Saviour, instructor, governor, 
and intercessor. I give myself to thee, Holy Spirit, and im- 
plore thee to be my sanctifier, quickener and comforter. I give 
myself to thee, thou one Jehovah, to be thine in soul and in 
body, in time and through eternity, and to employ all my time 
and all that I possess in obejdng thy will and in promoting thy 
glory. I give myself to thee, resolved to take thy word as my 
daily guide, thy people as my companions, and thy ordinances as 
the means of my spiritual refreshment and progressive edification. 
(I give myself to the service of thy church — to be a labourer 
in thy vineyard — a preacher of thy gospel, and I desire of thee 
to accept of me as such — to raise me up to it, and to prepare me 
for it in the way that will be most to thy honour and glory, the 
welfare of my soul and the welfare of thy church. ) And sensi- 
ble of the deceitfulness of my heart, and of my own weakness, 
I desire to do all this in the strength of thy promised grace. 
Oh make thy grace sufficient for me, and accept through Christ 
of this dedication ! Help me dailj^ to keep in mind that I have 
thus devoted myself to thee a living sacrifice, and that I am 
bound to glorify thee with my body and spirit, which are thine. 
May the consideration of this be my guard in the hour of temp- 
tation, and my joy in affliction and in death. Now, Lord, I call 
heaven and earth to record that I am willingly thine. Lord, 
save thou me. 

*' Samuel F. Johnston. 
" February 9th, 1851." 

The above, with the exception of the sentences en- 



44 MEMOIR OF S. P. JOHNSTON. 

closed in parenthesis, is not his own composition, being 
a form of self-dedication given in Barr's Catechism, but 
still it shows the spirit in which he first united with the 
Church, while the addition shows how solemnly and 
fully he had even at this stage devoted himself to the 
work of the ministry, and his after life shows how sin- 
cere and how real his dedication to God was. 

' ' Feb. 23. Sabbath. This daj^ felt little of the enlivening influences 
of the Spirit. This is the result of coolness and indifference in 
prayer. Oh that my prayer this night may be heard, Grod be 
merciful to me, the chief of sinners ! 

"March 4. How httle health is valued while in possession. 
How little do we think of the manj'^ favours we receive from the 
hand of our God. Oh that I could make this my daily study 
and meditation ! 

" 16. Sabbath. What a great fire a little spark kindleth. 
This day I have witnessed the truth of this. From one ill 
sentence came a great strife. May this teach me not to speak 
without thought. 

' ' 23. May I ever seek resignation, submission and strength to 
bear up under thj'^ will concerning me in all things. Give me to 
see the evil of murmuring at thy providence. 

" 25. Oh how hurtful to our spiritual growth to associate with 
ungodly companions ! 

"April 4, May I ever be enabled to look upon affliction as 
the chastening of a kind Father, and not to murmur at it. 

"9. I have learned that indulgence in sin brings misery sooner 
or later. Enable me to remember this. 

"13. Behold a fellow mortal committed to her long home. 
From this may I learn the uncertainty of earthly pleasures — to 
rely upon God as my father, friend and comforter, remembering 
that he is able to relieve, comfort and support me in whatever 
situation I may be placed, relying on his promise. Mat. xi. 28 
—30. 

' ' 27. Oh may I be enabled to make the cross of Christ attrac- 
tive, and not bring disgrace on my profession, and be forward to 



PREPARING FOR COLLEGE. 45 

own and acknowledge God in all my ways, relying on his promise. 
Mat. X. 32. 

" 30. In prosperity how apt am I to forget my God. Adver- 
sity is the life of the soul. Oh may I not murmur at his chas- 
tening hand ! 

" May 11. Oh how corrupt are my heart and desires, how 
easily led by thoughtless companions into sin ! Oh may I hence- 
forth be preserved from such ! Pardon the sins of this day. 

"13. One year has rolled away since I left home to do for mj''- 
self, in which time I have been mercifully preserved. I have 
great reason to be thankful— God has heard my weak cries, and 
forwarded me in my undertal^ing, when all appeared dark. May 
this give me confidence to depend on Him in all my trials, and 
at all times. 

After leaving Economy he attended school for a few 
months at Otter Brook, a few miles from his father's 
house, and then, with the view of obtaining the means 
of prosecuting his studies, he taught school till the 
opening of the classes of the Synod's Seminary in the 
following year. 

We may here say of him what we intend to say of 
him as a teacher. In this work he engaged under a 
deep sense of responsibility, and while assiduous in his 
endeavours to communicate knowledge, his piety par- 
ticularly shone forth in his anxious desire to promote 
the spiritual welfare of his pupils, and in his efforts to 
be useful in the general community in which he for the 
time resided. 

Writing to a teacher some time after, he says : 

" How are you getting on with your school? I long to hear. 
Forget not your Bible. Instil its principles into the youthful 
mind. I now look back with sweet satisfaction to the Bible 
lessons of my schools." 

From his diary at this time, we continue our extracts 



46 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

"May 30. After an excursion of three weeks I am again 
settled and going to school, (in Otter Brook, ) for which I have 
great reason to be thankful. It is of the Lord's doing, and I 
trust an answer to my prayers. 

"June 15. Had the honour of commemorating the Lord's 
death. I have reason to be thankful that I was enabled to re- 
solve to abstain from certain sins, and to be more fervent in 
duty. This is my birthday. Twenty-one years of my life have 
now fled away. 

" July 12. How corrupt is the heart of man, and how ready 
to fall into sin — how great is the misery which I have endured 
by giving way to one sin. May this ever lead me to fear sin as 
that which displeases, and that he cannot let go unpunished. 
May I remember this. 

"20. Man in his right position when he lays aside all depen- 
dence on his own righteousness, and comes in prayer to Christ 
alone for salvation. Such will never fail. May I ever remember 
this. 

"29. This day I have seen the evil of diverting myself by 
making sport of others, and formed a resolution to do so no more. 

"September 26. Lord, I resolve in thy strength (if it be 
thy will that I spend this winter at home) to avoid vain com- 
pany — not to spend my time in merry conversation, and the 
evenings in vain pleasure — ^but to endeavour to spend my time 
profitably, and in a manner pleasing to thee. Oh enable me to 
perform ! 

" Oct. 1. Lord, give me strength to give up every false and 
every wicked way, though it should be as dear to me as my 
right hand. And may it be my earnest endeavour to make re- 
paration for the injuries which I have done to thee and my fel- 
low beings. And as I have publicly disowned thee, Oh give me 
strength publicly to own, and defend thy cause and thy name 
without shame. I plead that thou wouldst bless unto me every 
dispensation of thy providence, and relieve me from the afflic- 
tion under which I am now labouring,* that thou wouldst bless 

* The affliction to which he refers at this period was ill health, 
probably owing to the confinement of school after the life of labour in the 
open air which he had hitherto followed. 



PREPARING FOR COLLEGE. 47 

it unto me, and lead me to be more active for the suppression 
of iniquity, and that I might have cause to praise and magnify 
the Lord. 

"Oct. 6. Lord, I plead that thou wouldst ever give me 
strength to rely on thee, to go forward in the discharge of every 
duty relying on the aid of promised grace, and though many 
and great difficulties should present themselves in the wa}', and 
all worldly affairs should be against me, enable me still to go 
forward, throwing myself and all my concerns upon thy care and 
keeping. 

' ' Oct. 26. Sabbath. Now again am settled at home for a 
time, and on the morrow have to enter upon the arduous task of 
teaching the young. I plead, Grod, that thou wouldst give 
thy Spirit to aid me in the discharge of this work, and may thy 
blessing attend it. 

" Nov. 13. Although thy chastening hand has lain heavily oh 
me, yet thou in wrath remembered me with undeserved mercy, 
and I have reason to bless the Lord, that his chastisement has 
been for my profit — that it has led me to love his law more, and 
to hate sin. And now mj'^ desire to live is that I may be useful 
to my ffellow-beings, and be a means in thy hand to keep them 
from sin, and turn them to thee. Oh, accept of me as such, 
and may I be found useful, and give me strength to go forward, 
with steadfastness, perseverance, humility, determination, resig- 
nation and dependence on thy support at all times ! 

"Nov. 15. This day impressed with the little concern which 
the breaking of thy commandments has given me. Oh, how dif- 
ferent will be this concern on the judgment-day ! 

' ' 30. How little do I consider or understand, the great 
humility, holiness, meekness and wonderful condescension, of the 
Saviour. Think on this, oh, my soul, and may this be the 
theme of my frequent meditation ! 

"Dec. 7. How unmindful am I of my dutj" — how must this 
strike me on the day of judgment — when all my actions will be 
forcibly presented to my view. Oh, that the Lord would enable 
me to keep a strict watch over my actions, and give his Spirit to 
direct and assist me in self-examination ! 

"January 2. 1852. Another j-ear has rolled over my head 



48 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

with all its cares and pleasures. I have reason to express thank 
fulness for divine protection and direction — that I have so far 
been kept from evil, that my prayers have been answered. Al- 
though I have been deeply afflicted, yet I have reason to say, 
' It is good for me that I have been afflicted. ' 

' ' February 9. This day I proceeded to attend Presbytery for 
the purpose of obtaining a certificate to attend the Seminary. 
My prayer is, that thou, Lord, will thwart me in my under- 
taking, if I am not going forward from right motives, if I will 
not be a faithful servant to preach thy word in its purity, not 
for renown, but for thy glory, and for the good of souls — always 
relying on thy strength, I plead, Lord, accept of me, and make 
me such, for there is great need of faithful labourers in thy 
vineyard. 

" February 22. My school is done, and now every opportunity 
of doing good which it afforded is passed, whether improved or 
unimproved. It is all noted down in the book of thy remem- 
brance, for ever to remain unaltered. I pray, Lord, that 
wherein I have sinned and come short, thou wouldst forgive, 
and that thou wouldst bless my labours among the youth. 
Lord, I plead that thou wouldst bless them, and lead them to 
make a wise improvement of their time and opportunities. 
Train them up for thyself and keep them from evil. And now, 
Lord, give me strength and direction to go forward. 

" March 1st. This day I left home and all my kind friends to 
attend the Seminary. My prayer was for direction, and aid 
from above, to carry me forward in this arduous undertaking." 

These specimens from his diary at this period of life 
will be sufficient to show the rigid spiritual discipline to 
which he subjected himself, and his earnest strivings 
after conformity with the Savirour, and we need not 
wonder that he rapidly grew in grace, and early attained 
to that maturity of piety Avhich marked the closing years 
of his life. " He that is begotten of God keepeth him- 
self and that wicked one toucheth him not." 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. 49 



CHAPTER III. 

€OJLJ0EGIATE COTTMSE. 

In March he proceeded to West River to attend the 
Synod's Institution, of which the Rev. James (now Dr.) 
Ross was at that time sole professor. He entered upon 
this work under very great disadvantages. His early 
education had been imperfect, he had been late in com- 
mencing the classics, and had been but a short time en- 
gaged with them, and he had not those superior talents 
by which some men acquire knowledge as if by intuition. 
Other discouragements were thrown in his way. Some 
of his nearest relatives were at first hopeless of success, 
while little encouragement was held out in quarters 
where he might have expected it. He felt too what many 
a student has done, the distressing anxiety occasioned 
by want of worldly means to prosecute his studies, while 
sometimes sickness arrested his labours and darkened 
his spirit. Of the first year's studies he has left a re- 
view, a condensation of which we insert, especially as 
we think it may prove encouraging to other students 
struggling with similar difficulties. 

" On the first of March I departed from home for the 
purpose of attending a place of instruction, severed 
many a friendly tie, left many friends, parents rendered 



50 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHXStON. 

dear by many acts of kindness, and every thing that 
endears child to parents, brothers and sisters beloved, 
who had long been my companions and sympathizers in 
times of trouble and joy. These are sore partings — 
only truly comprehended by those who have experi- 
enced them. But in my cup of oppression there w^ere 
still other and bitter ingredients. My health was fee- 
ble ; there was a consciousness of a want of proper 
qualifications for the step which I was taking, (though 
I had laboured hard to fit myself, but under great dis- 
advantages,) and also a deep sense of the greatness of 
the work on which I had entered. For strength, for 
direction, for a blessing I had sought the Lord, but in 
weakness and imperfectly ; yet I think he heard me, 
and answered, though not in the expected way. 

" I arrived at my journey's end after two days' travel, 
in which I experienced much cold, many troubles, and 
some dangers ; yet I was safely preserved in them all, 
for which I have much reason for thankfulness, which I 
did endeavour to express in my prayers, though in a 
manner so cool as to be a cause of grief to me. 

" Another source of grief was the foolish manner in 
which I spent the days of my journey. It is singular 
that one in such a depressed state of mind and body 
should be found in the number of the foolish, and I al- 
most said jovial. To these causes I ascribe it : First, 
The company ; Secondly, A mind rendered weak by 
sickness, and then oppressed by cares, was easily tempted 
to give itself to something of a different nature. 

"I lodged with Mr. S., who very kindly enter- 
tained me. With him I stayed during the term. If it 
had not been for his benevolence, {to appearance, at 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. 51 

least,) I could not have availed myself of the benefit of 
attending this institution of learning. From Mrs. S. 
I also received many favours. She was very attentive 
to my wants, and appeared interested in my welfare, 
and appeared to me more like a mother than a stranger. 

" The next day I repaired to the hall to attend the 
opening exercises, with many anxious thoughts. My 
anxieties were the greater, as I had been brought up in 
a retired corner of a new country, and I was now for 
the first time brought into public notice, without having 
had an opportunity of acquiring a knowledge of my new 
sphere. 

" The classes were opened on the 3d of March, by a 
lecture from the Professor, whic'i was followed hj ad- 
dresses from ministers present. There were some deep 
impressions made on my mind, though not so deep, so 
numerous, nor lasting as have been on some occasions. 
I returned to my lodgings, and prayed for a blessing 
on what had taken place. 

" The work of the classes commenced on the following 
day. In the classics I found the lessons hard, as all 
my class-fellows had read more than I had done, and 
they had also read some in the works we were studying, 
while I had read none. Thus throughout the session 
labour was plentiful, and idleness but little harboured. 

^' In the course of a week or two I was pretty well 
settled in my new sphere. I had become pretty well 
acquainted with the manners of the institution and the 
nature of the studies prosecuted at it. I was much de- 
lighted with them, particularly with Logic. I found 
difficulties, chiefly the result of my previous training. 
I particularly felt th"e want of the habit of close atten- 



52 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

tion, so as to follow a subject from beginning to end, 
and of correct observation of the minuter distinctions 
of meaning in words and sentences. 

" B J this time I had mj hours of study arranged. I 
arose at about five o'clock in the morning, spent an hour 
in dressing, reading the Scriptures, and devotional ex- 
ercises. From six till half past seven I studied Greek 
and Latin. Then, till quarter past eight, breakfast and 
family worship. Till a quarter to nine, resumed the 
previous exercise. Then left for the class, which opened 
at a quarter past nine. The Junior Latin class next 
read, which occupied till ten ; then the Junior Greek 
class, which occupied the same length of time. From a 
quarter to eleven till a quarter to twelve, Logic. Then 
returned home ; dinner and exercise till half past one. 
From this till four, writing out outline of Logic lecture. 
After this, part of the time was occupied with writing 
essays, and the rest with the preparation of our Latin 
and Greek. About ten, or generally a little later, I 
retired to rest. 

" I was now engaged in writing my first essay. To 
get the matter clearly and comprehensively arranged, 
and expressed in proper terms, I found difficult. In 
all this I experienced the evil of a careless habit of 
writing, without sufficient attention to the signification 
of the terms employed, and the construction of sen- 
tences, and also of a careless habit of reading. 

" I found the inhabitants very kind. They were so 
to all the students, and showed them more respect than 
they merited. They made me feel as if I breathed in 
a new and more pleasing atmosphere. When I was at 
home my father's house was the least in the tribe, 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. 63 

and I the least in it ; but here, wherever I went, 
marked attention and respect were bestowed upon me, 
of which I felt wholly unworthy. 

" On the 25th of March I gave in my first essay. 
Some days after received the Professor's criticism-^a 
very unwelcome guest. I thought it severe in the ex- 
treme. He concluded by saying, ' If Mr. Johnston 
would attend to these things, he had r^o doubt but he 
would make creditable progress. Although at first it 
might appear slovf, yet after a time he would be as- 
tonished at his own improvement.' This criticism fell 
like peals of thunder on my ears. Although the last 
was a modification, yet the elevation was little in com- 
parison to the depression. In his remarks he was calm, 
firm, and determined, yet showed nothing but anxiety 
for my improvement. I never felt anything have such 
an efi"ect. This arose partly from the clear and forcible 
manner, in which he showed its faults, and partly from 
the fact, that I had laboured hard in composing it, and 
thought it a pretty nice essay ; but after hearing the 
Professor's criticism, I despised it, and fancied it to be 
one of the meanest eiforts of composition. I returned 
home determined to make a desperate effort, drew up a 
series of rules and set to work. 

" The weak state of my health was a great hindrance. 
In this I thought I saw the kind finger of God, and en- 
deavoured to thank him for the same, for I was very 
much set on my studies. There was therefore need of 
something to direct my mind to another Deity. 

"Thus time advanced, which rendered my labours 
lighter, and brought an improvement in health. The 

students were, with few exceptions, industrious, and 

6* 



54 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

kept close to their studies. There was little mis- 
chief among them, such as is common among students. 
I account for this from the Professor's determination, 
strictness, and anxiety for our improvement, which led 
him to prescribe heavy tasks ; and if these were not 
well prepared, the punishment, though not corporeal, 
was yet sufficient to make any person lay aside sloth 
and be diligent. 

" On the 5th of May I gave in my second essay. 
The criticism was severe, after all my labours and anx- 
iety, yet was somewhat more moderate than the previous 
one. Thus I was a little encouraged. 

" The session terminated at the end of August. At 
the close the Professor gave me credit for making cre- 
ditable progress in every branch of study. This I 
ascribed to my diligence and principle of reducing every- 
thing to practice. I observed that some of the students 
were naturally quicker to learn, and at first overreached 
my most strenuous efforts, but by these means I was 
gradually enabled to compete with them. In essay 
writing I received the distinction of having made an 
improvement, such as the Professor said he thought he 
had scarcely ever seen equalled in the time. By this 
you are not to understand that I am superior, except in 
comparison with my first production. In Logic I got 
off creditably. In the classics I was eulogized. The 
credit of all is in a great measure due to the Professor, 
the remainder to perseverance and self-denial. Alto- 
gether I think few ever benefited more by six months* 
training," 

The above will show what appeared through his whole 
career as a student, the pains-taking diligence and per- 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. 56 

severing industry with which he prosecuted his studies. 
If not attracting attention by the brilliancy of his 
powers or by any extraordinary attainments, he was 
known to all connected with the institution as one, 
whose faithfulness to his work won him a respectable 
position among his classmates in all branches of know- 
ledge taught at the institution. Among his fellow-stu- 
dents, he was esteemed for his amiable disposition, 
frankness of manner, and earnest piety. 

But while thus diligent in his studies he did not 
neglect his spiritual interests. The whole of his studies 
were prosecuted in a Christian spirit, and he never lost 
sight of his great aim, the serving God in the ministry 
of the gospel. To this he considered all his present 
labours subservient, and he valued the instruction he 
was receiving, especially as preparing him for the work, 
and each course as bringing him nearer the object of 
his hopes. A few extracts from his diary will show how 
amid studies, which doubtless have in themselves a ten- 
dency to deaden spirituality, he kept the flame of piety 
constantly burning, by frequent religious meditation and 
close communion with his God and Saviour. 

"March 3, 1852. Attended the seminary, received several 
fine addresses from reverend gentlemen. Oh may they ever re- 
main deeply impressed upon my mind ! Lord, I pray that 
thou wouldst make me sensible of the magnificence of the work 
in which I am engaged, of the responsibilities connected with 
it, and of the need there is of thine aid and direction ! Oh do 
thou be with me, and strengthen me for the work, and support 
me under every trial ! 

"7. Sabbath. Heard the Professor preach. May the truth 
which he declared be ever deeply impressed on my mind. May 
I never fear man, but disregard his frowns and flatteries. Keep 



56 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

nie from desiring Christ to be crucified rather than Barabbas ; . 
but may I be enabled to take up the cross daily, and follow 
Christ, delighting in his word. 

"April 25. Consider the benevolence of the Creator as ex- 
hibited in the system of nature — the innumerable favours we 
hourly enjoy, and we so unworthy of them. Grratitude, how 
dead ! Charity, how cold ! my wisdom, how foolish ! Me- 
ditations, how seldom and limited ! 

" May 2. Oh how little Christian resolution, self-denial do I 
manifest! How often ashamed of Christ and his -cause, and how 
little concern does it give me. Oh give me lively faith ! 

' ' 3. Indifference in prayer begets slothfulness, foolishness, 
and neglectfulness. These beget sin, sin begets misery, pain, 
and remorse. Lord, grant me a spirit of fervency in 
prayer ! 

"23. Oh may I ever beware of Satan's malice! Keep me 
from backsliding. I have formed a resolution this day to exam- 
ine myself every fourth Sabbath. Lord, give strength to 
perform ! 

"June L How prone am I to foolishness and to procrastina- 
tion. How blind to my own faults. Lord, I give my time 
and all that I possess to thy service ! Oh give me grace to im- 
prove ! 

" 6. Lord keep me from growing cold and indifferent ! Keep 
me from practising deceit. Impress upon me the importance 
of thy word — ^how suitable to my wants. Oh how frequently 
have I read such passages as the following: Psalm cxli. 9, 10; 
Heb. iv., particularly 12th, 15th, and 16th verses, and not been 
impressed with the sweet consolation and advice which they con- 
tain, might I not say, thy whole word ! Sin must be punished, 
and all my afflictions are the just rewards of transgression. Oh 
how often does the folly of our youth procure for us many hours 
of trouble and affliction afterward, and certainly our iniquity 
shall find us out ! May I not be ashamed of my Lord or his 
cause ; may neither friends, worldly pleasures, nor trials turn me 
from the path of duty. 

"13. May I ever be prepared both to spend and to be spent 
for the advancement of Christ's cause. May I be enabled to be- 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. 67 

stow all the power of mj'^ mind on it, and be dead to tlie world 
and this world dead to me. 

"15. Another year of my life has rolled away. The afflictions 
of this period have been oppressive. But I rejoice that I can 
say, ' Thy grace was sufficient for me. ' I pray that they may be 
blessed to me — to give me hatred of sin — to fit and prepare me 
for future usefulness. I confess the shortcomings of the year. 
I have prayed much, but there was a want of earnestness, neither 
have I made nearly sufficient inquiry concerning the answer. I 
confess a want of forwardness in thy cause — a want of faithful- 
ness in reproving sin — of earnest seeking to behold thy glory 
or to promote it — procrastination. Lord, strengthen me 
against these evils in future and make thy grace sufficient for me ! 
I have also great reason to be thankful for the mercies and bles- 
sings of the year. Thou hast led me in a way that I knOw not, 
and toward the close thou hast been pleased to hear my cries and 
in a great measure remove the thorn in the flesh. Make me 
truly thankful for all thy great goodness toward an undeserving 
creature, and may I receive thy mercies in the fear and love of 
thee. 

" July 15. Secret abominations of my heart dug out by self- 
examination. Wandering in time of prayer — a want of love 
when there is so much to love, (consider this,) — pride — a want 
of that lowliness and humility which the Scriptures inculcate — 
envy, that loathsome thing — a want of charity — a want of ac- 
tivity, — many good resolutions being made and unperformed, 
not being sufficiently forward in defending his cause, deterred 
by shame and fear of men — far from being sufficiently watchful 
over my soul's concerns, (most wonderful !) — too little concerned 
about my soul's salvation — vain thoughts, the mind frequently 
running on licentious desires. Oh ! my heart is a cage, contain- 
ing every unclean fowl. JMy resolution is that I will daily seek the 
Lord to give me strength to overcome some one of these. . 

"17. What are innocent amusements and pleasures, and what 
are not such ? Oh how much am I given to the pleasure of the 
world — how thoughtless — in circumstances sufficient to call out 
the most dormant thoughts, yet unafi*ected ! 

"18. Partook of the Sacrament — did not experience so much 



58 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

of the presence, and see so miicli of the glory of the Lord aa 
I desired, yet I think I can say, ' did not my heart burn within 
me while he talked with me by the way. ' ' ' 

At the close of the term in August he took the 
charge of a school in Rawdon. which he continued to 
teach during the vacation of the classes. Here he was 
thrown into society of a much more worldly character 
than any to which he had been hitherto accustomed. 
The community in which he had been brought up, and 
also the one in which he had been lately studying, were 
both distinguished by the attention of the people to the 
duties of religion, and by freedom from at least open 
vice. He was now thrown among a different class of 
people, and he soon began to feel the effect upon his 
spirituality of mind. Though he s_trove by close atten- 
tion to religious duties to preserve the fine edge of his 
pious feelings, yet he lamented at the time and after- 
ward the result of his new associations in deadening 
his own sense of divine things. He also endeavoured 
to do good to others, but he was then young and inex- 
perienced, and being naturally retiring in his disposi- 
tion, and this being, it may be said, his first going out 
into the world, he was not so forward in efforts of this 
kind as he was afterwards. But he could have been in 
no society without carrying a savour of godliness, and 
producing some good impressions on those around him. 
We subjoin some extracts from his journal: — 

"Oct. 10. Another Sabbath has passed, its exercises, its op- 
portunities for waiting upon God. I feel that these have been 
cool and lifeless. Oh for the hastening of that period when all 
shall see eye to eye in the knowledge of the Lord — ^when all shall 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. 59 

become interested in His cause, when the Lord shall reign in 
every heart, and all shall speak of his goodness ! 

"24. Self-examination, — in which I experienced the want of 
its fi-equency — of daily thought on how great things the Lord 
has done for me. But I was led to thank the Lord for the evi- 
dences he has given me of his renewing grace. 1st. Love. 
' By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have 
love one to another.' Of this love I have evidence, in that I 
delight in his people, in their name, in their society, in all that 
relates to them. Its barrenness I have to lament, viz. : That 
of my action and life there appears so little spent in benefiting 
his people. 2d. Keeping his commandments. Evidence. A 
turning from light thoughtless company, evil imaginations, from 
all worldly pleasure (falsely so called) ; — grieved when I fell 
short and rejoiced when I was more faithful in it, — thus warring 
against the flesh and endeavouring to do the will of the Lord. 

"31. Contemplation on leaving home. Why leave the pa- 
rents whose fount of sympathy I knew never was dry, whose 
salutary advice and admonition were ever at hand, the family 
circle, and altar, and all the pleasant and endeared recollections 
and associations of a home, — the blessed Sabbath calm. Their 
equals I shall not find in this world. These are some of the in- 
ducements : To serve the end for which I was created, — to ad- 
vance His glory and cause, — to do good to my fellow beings. 
Tremble and consider, oh my soul ! It is a great work. Sift 
thy motives, daily examine them, and beg God's strength and di- 
rection. Examine his chart, wateh self, see that it does not in- 
termingle in your actions. 

" Nov. 7. How true the sentence, 'No man can run in the fire 
and not be burned. ' By association with the thoughtless and 
by neglect of duty I have been left to do things which I at one 
time firmly believed that I would ever avoid while in my senses. 
Oh the weakness of man when left to himself ! 

' ' 22. How far do I fail in fulfilling the design for which I 
was created, to glorify Grod in my heart, in my speech, in my be- 
haviour. 

"28. I feel more and more the effect of evil companions. Oh 
for the day when all shall serve the Lord ! 



v60 " MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

**' Dec. 23. My praj^er to God is that he would cut me off and 
take me to hiuiself if he will not be pleased to enable me to be 
useful in promoting his cause. Oh the baneful effects of 
thoughtless company ! Oh when shall the Sabbath be reve- 
renced by all ! Oh when will parents become conscious of the 
nature of their charge ! Oh happy the children who have 
parents who set precept and examples before them ! 

' ' 25. It is impossible for the believer to associate with the 
thoughtless without becoming more cool towards his spiritual 
concerns and having less anxiety to glorify God, &c, — his mo- 
tives are less or more corrupt, — ^his conceptions of sin made 
more imperfect. Oh that Christians were fully aware of this 
and deeply considered it, that they valued more the company of 
each other, that they strove to make it more desirable ! 

"26. The Bible contains a fruitful surface, but beneath is a 
rich mine of pearls, and the deeper we descend the more riches 
do we discover. Oh that mine eyes were opened to behold the 
beauties therein contained, to see its holiness, to understand its 
truths, and that its precepts might thus be the men of my 
counsel ! 

"Feb. 7, 1853. My alarming faults, calculated to cheat me 
out of all improvements, especially Christian, viz. , Continually 
setting some future period when I shall seek my God with more 
ardour and zeal, when I shall use every means to obtain closer 
communion with him, lay aside the world more, be more faithful and 
active in the discharge of duty ! But oh, the period never arrives ! 
When I have put it off once, when the next time arrives, there 
is always something in the way, it is not quite so convenient as 
expected, the next time will be better. This is Satan's most 
successful way of destroying souls. Lord enable me to avoid 
it ! How full are the Scriptures of admonitions and warnings on 
this subject. My resolution is to endeavour to spend the pre- 
sent in discharge of duty, not in fruitless anticipations of the 
future. 

" 20. Five months have now rolled away since I came here, 
and this is the last Sabbath I expect to spend here. I have ex- 
perienced much of the goodness of the Lord since I came here, 
much of his forbearance. I have much reason to be thankful, 



COLLEGIATE COUl^SE. 61 

my health has much improved. I acknowledge a want of grati- 
tude. I have heen much exposed to thoughtless companj^, to 
their irreverent manner of speaking of everything holy, to their 
light manner of treating everything, and have found that none 
can associate with such and not be in part dra^vn by their 
ways. 

"27. After many daj^s' trouble, trial, and temptations, I am 
once more at home. Oh how thankful should I be that I have 
such a home — where the Sabbath is observed, God's name re- 
vered, his ordinances respected and observed, things of import- 
ance treated "as such, an interest taken in the Church and all 
her schemes ! What a salutary effect such a home has on the 
family." 

In returning to enter upon the second term at the 
seminary in March, 1853, he thus writes, reviewing the 
previous six months. 

"After a long silence but not an inactive, unimpor- 
tant era in my life I resume my pen. The holidays 
have fled, the seminary is opened. Let me pause here 
a little and review the past six months. They have 
been interwoven with many interesting events. I have 
been exposed to the most ensnaring temptations, and 
have been wonderfully preserved. I have been placed 
in a situation where God and his ordinances and every 
thing sacred was treated with indifference if not con- 
tempt. I felt seriously the ruinous effect of this, saw 
in it the effect of habit, and learned the propriety of 
seizing it as an auxiliary in diffusing knowledge and 
morality. It had a ruinous tendency on my own rever- 
ence for sacred things. It increased my anxiety to 
ameliorate the moral condition of my fellow men. It 
gave me a sense of the importance of my privileges, 
their influence on my conduct and character, of the value 
of which heretofore I was unconscious." 
6 



02 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

He prepared a similar review of this session as of 
the last, which shows that it involved the same hard la- 
bour and the same discouragements, under which he was 
sometimes almost tempted to relinquish his purpose. 
On the whole however he was more encouraged than be- 
fore, and as he surmounted his early difficulties, he 
found a pleasure in the work. We subjoin the opening 
and closing sentences. 

"I entered upon another term of study with many 
serious thoughts regarding the manner in which I had 
spent the precious six months. I was under some em- 
barrassment. My mind was out of studying trim. 
This was occasioned by its being uncontrolled for some 
time. This obstacle was gradually overcome by em- 
ployment. I commenced this term with a determina- 
tion to examine every thing to the bottom, and to ob- 
serve every peculiarity and distinction of words and 
things. In the languages particularly I attended to 
this. I contended with them unassisted by the students' 
crutches. Proceeding in this manner I found verj 
difficult and trying on the patience at first, but the 
longer I continued at it, the more this was removed, and 
the greater my success. I found by this course much 
more satisfaction in my work. I found that though the 
other students outstripped me at first, and did not la- 
bour nearly so hard, yet I gradually gained oq them. 
Their trouble did not appear to diminish much, while my 
work gradually became easier, so that finally I walked 
along with them quite at ease. In this manner I pro- 
ceeded, studying Greek, Latin, Mathematics, &c. At 
every step of my onward course I was continually meet- 
ing with something which convinced me more and more 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. 63 

of the little I knew and the vast amount of knowledge 
to be acquired. 

And at the close he says, "I have this term much 
reason to be thankful. My health was preserved and 
improved — my mind expanded — and views enlarged re- 
specting man, his duties, his Creator, and the relation be- 
tween them. May my soul be filled with gratitude to 
thee, Lord, for all thy manifold kindnesses. On the 
31st August the whole was brought to a close by a pub- 
lic examination. This was conducted in presence of 
several members of Synod, and it came off with credit 
to the teacher and the taught." 

The following extracts from his diary during this pe- 
riod will show that amid studies so liable to engross his 
time, and which so deeply interested his mind, his re- 
ligious improvement was not neglected. 

"March 6. The closer communion I have with my Grod, the 
clearer are my views of my own imperfections, and my need of 
a Saviour. Oh the baneful effect of being deprived of waiting 
on God's ordinances and being exposed to the ungodly, and all 
the effects of such company ! Happy he who never experi- 
enced it. God be merciful to me, an offending, unworthy sin- 
ner ! 

"20. Nearly twenty- three years of my life are in the vast 
abyss of past time. Of their thoughts and actions, though many 
of them may be forgotten by me, and most of them by the world, 
not one is forgotten by God. Every one is marked in his re- 
cords, and will probably some day be brought to my mind. Oh 
that I would consider this ! In the course of this life I have been 
the ungrateful recipient of innumerable blessings. I have been 
led to cry unto the Lord, I think, to hate sin, to love holiness. 
I have endured sore affliction and chastisements, and have been 
enabled to endure and bless the Lord for them. How much rea- 
son have I to humble myself before the Lord, and to bless and 



64 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

magnify his great and holy name. Oh fill my heart with love 
and gratitude to thee ! 

"April 3. Sin of backsliding. It causes grief, trouble, fear, 
&c. Psalm xxxi. It incurs the displeasure of God — grieves him. 
It brings disgrace on his name, cause and people — causes the 
enemy to blaspheme, is a sad offence to the weak, causing them 
to err. Consider, oh my soul, the nature of such a sin. 
Lord, strengthen me to go on in the Christian course rejoicing — 
counting all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge 
of Christ Jesus, my Lord ! 

" 10. Subjects for meditation, Grod's creative power — ^his om- 
niscience — at one glance beholding all that immensity contains. 
Nothing is concealed from him. His condescension — the atten- 
tion he has bestowed on us, &c. 

"25. Oh what a noble employment to turn my thoughts in- 
ward, to reflect bn my nature, its inclination, the mode in which 
temptations succeed ! Here is the place to resist. Oh that at 
the commencement of every action and every utterance I would 
turn my thoughts inward to view my motives — to consider the 
consequence on myself and others of what I am about to say or 
do ! Lord, assist me in every effort I make thus to employ my 
thoughts ! 

' ' May L I find the cause in a great measure of my indifference 
as to my spiritual state, and to all the evidences of God's perfec- 
tions, which are abundantly exhibited on every side, to be a 
neglect of the injunction, pray without ceasing. If, before I en- 
gage in anything, I would offer up an earnest prayer for instruc- 
tion whether or not it would be pleasing to him, for guidance in 
it, and for proper motives, also, if in all my ways I would seek to 
restrain my thoughts, that they might be profitably employed, 
how changed would be my spiritual state. My mourning would 
be turned into joy, and my soul would delight in the Lord. 

"15. How seldom do I examine myself, to what I should, and 
thus how difficult it is to perform the duty, and how slight is the 
acquaintance I have with myself to what I should have. O 
Lord, give me a proper knowledge of myself, my imperfeo 
tions, and wants, and may I thus be led to look to thee for 
strength ! 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. 65 

*-' 20. A thing to be wondered at, tlie difficulty of employing 
my thoughts closely, deeply for any length of time on such sub- 
jects as the nature of Grod, his perfections, my own imperfec- 
tions, the state of my heart, my duty, and the change which must 
soon come. Each of these subjects is fraught with importance, 
nor can I conceive of anything to compare with them in interest. 
Still the mind will turn to other subjects, and with ease trace them 
through their windings. Who can deny then that the heart is 
corrupt. For were it not so, would it not find its sweetest grati- 
fication in such contemplations. 

" 28. How great is the sin of resisting the striving of Grod's 
Spirit. 

" June 12. How little do I think on the relation existing be- 
tween Grod and me, its closeness, and the beneficence connected 
with it. Consequently I am fearfully deficient in the discharge 
of duty, painfullj'^ unconscious of its importance, and of the awful 
ingratitude and sinfulness of neglecting it. Oh if the moments 
in which my thoughts wander on trifling things were spent in 
this manner ! What subject is more important. Lord, enable 
me to attend to this more hereafter ! 

"13. This day completes twenty-three years of my life. Can I 
better express my feelings and the truth than in the words of the 
Psalmist, Psalm xxxix. 4-7? In all probability one-third of that 
life, is gone, and how gone. Hereafter may much of my al- 
lotted period on this stage of probation be actively spent in 
those concerns which relate to time and eternity. I, weak and 
needy, Lord, beg thy assistance in this work, and thy guidance 
down the stream of time, till I am launched into eternity. 

"July 10. No writing this some time on account of my being 
absent during holidays. During this period I have visited my 
home and many relations and friends. ^ One thing forcibly struck 
my mind during this excursion, the utter want of religious con- 
versation. When friends meet you would suppose that they 
would select this subject, as it is the most important, and conse- 
quently must most concern us. But it is quite the contrary. The 
subject is carefully avoided as if it were something not only un- 
deserving of attention, but as if something criminal. Vain trifling 

* In Noel, a place where I had not been for years. 
6* 



66 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

things supply its place. I confess I am veiy deficient on this 
point. I am timorous about introducing religious conversation. 
Although I may wish it introduced, I am too diffident to do it 
myself. This is truly a serious fault. Visiting friends might be 
time spent most profitably and most edifyingly, if it were rightly 
done. It afibrds opportunities for giving and receiving counsel, 
for learning the experience of others and telling your own. But 
as it is practised at the present day, I doubt if it is right to spend 
time in it. 

"Aug. 7. Oh the irreverence with which I frequently approach 
the throne of grace, and the want of that deep-felt anxiety about 
what I request, and the little importance which I attach to them, 
I had almost said indifi'erence ! These are the most important 
matters that respect man, and you would naturally suppose that 
they would be uttered in painful anxiety, with awe, and in 
solemn reverence. Lord,, enable me to do so ! Oh that I might 
ever feel my unfitness for approaching thee, and thy great 
mercy in permitting it ! 

"15. Oh that I were more attentive to the state of my mind, 
to be ever observant of the thoughts which pass through it so as 
to repress every improper desire, every unlawful thought, in its 
first rising ! Psa. xxxix. 1. Here is the place to keep watch. 
Hence comes all actions. Keep the fountain head clean, and the 
streams will be pure. 

' ' 27. How many are the enemies and barriers of the Christian, 
the flesh within and various foes without. What reason have 
such persons to be thankful for the 7th chapter of Romans. 

"28. Six months have now rolled round since I came here. 
They have been mostly spent in hard study. Now at the close 
of them, well does it become me to make a candid, careful, pray- 
erful examination, into my motives, which induced me thus to 
labour, to observe well that ambition, a desire to excel — a desire 
of knowledge — have not had too much influence. Lord, thou 
knowest what my motives were. Oh do thou examine me and 
prove me ! Now Lord, at this critical period, I would pray that 
thou wouldst enable me to subordinate all my attainments to thy 
honour and glory, that I may devote them to thy service, what- 
ever may be my situation ; that I may be faithful and zealous ac- 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. 67 

cording to knowledge. Help me to do this, for vain is the aid of 
man, and feeble is my strength." 

On this part of his journal the following was written 
afterwards : " There was at this period a deep impres- 
sion on my mind that it was a most ' critical ' period, a 
turning point of my life. I know not why my mind 
became so impressed at this time, but so it was. I used 
to retire and pray most earnestly (I think more so than 
I had ever done before) that God would direct my steps 
when I should leave the seminary at its close. I en- 
deavoured to divest myself of all feeling, and to desire 
him to send me where the results which should follow 
would be most to his glory. Time will tell whether or 
not my prayers have been answered." 

At the clpse of this term he took a school at Noel. 
At this place he taught afterward. Here he became 
intimate with Miss Elizabeth O'Brien, a distant rela- 
tive, who was afterward the partner of his life in the 
toils and perils of the missionary life. Regarding his 
residence in Noel, the Rev. John Currie thus writes : 

"Mr. Johnston taught several times in Noel — the 
whole period being about two years. He was much re- 
spected by all who knew him, and so far as I can learn 
was a successful teacher. As to his piety there is but 
one thing said by all, and that is, that you could not be 
in his company long without discovering that his piety 
was deep toned. His light shone before men. In 
making the inquiry whether he was particularly useful 
in any other way than in teaching, I learned that he 
took a very deep interest in a Missionary Society, which 
had for some time been established in Noel, and by his 
efforts in its behalf gave the cause a great stimulus. 



68 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

He was instrumental also in starting a debating Club, 
which was of much benefit to the young men of the 
place. He also attended the Sewing Circle (where both 
sexes were wont to be found) and other gatherings of 
the young people, and by inducing them to spend a part 
of the time in singing sacred music (of which he him- 
self was very fond) and a part in useful conversation, 
and by giving them addresses, he was the means of 
doing away with a great deal of unprofitable amuse^ 
ment, and of giving a religious tone to such gatherings. 
In this respect he did much good, and he did it in such 
a way that there was no appearance of the dictator or 
the gloomy religionist. The young people were deeply 
attached to him. His death has fallen like a thunder- 
bolt upon them all. They feel it as much as if they 
had lost a brother. These were the principal ways- in 
which he endeavoured to do good, but his eiforts were 
not confined to these. He embraced every opportunity 
to advance the cause of his Master." 
We subjoin extracts from his diary. 

" Noel, Sept. 11. Since the close of the seminary I have been 
roving till now. I am again settled. During this time I have 
seen much to cause gratitude to God for my privileges and bless- 
ings during life (none more than for my parents. ) Passing from 
this, I notice my present circumstances. I now look back on 
the past six months with wonder and gratitude. Blessings have 
flowed upon me. I can see the finger of Grod beneficently point- 
ing the way and assisting in that way. Health has been im- 
proved, pecuniary means wonderfully provided, I have had suc- 
cess in study, I have gained more of a disposition of mind to 
examine myself, to ponder on the perfections of God, and to 
subordinate all my attainments to God's glory. Much has been 
the satisfaction and happiness I have received from these 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. 69 

sources. Oh, what reason for thankfulness, especially for 
the latter class of blessings ! Though they have not been nearly 
such as I would desire, yet I have the greatest reason to-be 
thankful that they have been such as they are. When I reflect 
on them and consider myself, I observe that I have Grod to thank 
for them, self often, if not always, operating against them. In 
addition to these and innumerable others I have reason to be 
grateful for my present situation. It is just what I wished and 
prayed for. May it prove a blessing to me and others, and re- 
dound to God's glory. Now I beseech thee, Lord, if all these 
blessings have not been given in covenant-love, make me to know, 
that I may humble myself. 

" Oct, 16. A time to be dreaded — when all worldly concerns 
go well, when we are surrounded by comforts, and the mind is 
full of employment. Then the tempter stealthily draws away 
the soul — leads it far from the upholder. Concern about its 
condition or acquaintance with its Grod is buried in ease and 
hurry. Time is wanting to examine motives, to consider our 
present state, our past conduct, or future prospects. Our ac- 
tions are performed, and there is no time for reflecting on 
them, 

' ' 23. But this state will not always continue. This pilgrimage 
must have its troubles. But after such a state how unwelcome 
are they at first ! and the soul almost cries out in bitter mur- 
murings, and feels as if it were robbed. But Christians soon 
begin to observe them to be the kind and just chastening of a 
good Father. Then they begin to see their fearful state — • 
how they had been wandering into strange and dangerous paths 
— and that their course was with accelerating rapidity. Now 
they rejoice in the chastening. Oh, what is my strength — my 
proneness to evil how alarming ! So in this abode I must be 
the subject of continual correction, or I perish. Oh, T could 
cry. Lord, terminate this sore journey if thou hast no work for 
me! 

" Nov. 6. This day engaged in self-examination. How much 
do I find to deplore — darkness — corruptions — an unconscioiis- 
ness of the great grounds for gratitude, and of the duties arising 
out of my privileges and relations. These heart-rending facts I 



70 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

can trace in a great measure to my over much love for the world, 
or to a continuous concern about worldly matters, letting my 
thoughts be ever actively engaged in these and in my studies, 
and not giving sufficient time for reflection. Thus the devil 
manages to cheat me. 

"13. Procrastination, the bane of the soul. It is ever, 'not 
now, but I will wait till a more favourable time, which will soon 
occur. ' Yes, the time is all set for this duty and for that. The 
set period rapidly arrives, but it has its unforeseen inconve- 
niences. The thoughts are directed to another period and with 
the same results. Thus time flies away, and the deceiver is ad- 
mirably working out his designs and cheating the soul. Here- 
after let me seize on the present for the discharge of every 
duty — if it be not as advantageous as desirable, let me make the 
best of it, and never on that account delay till a future. Oh, 
may the Lord give me strength thus to act! Through him 
helping me, I will do so. " 

We may remark here that while he so often laments 
his disposition to procrastinate, to others he appeared 
particularly free from this fault, and marked by his 
promptitude in action. His notice of the evil seems 
to have led to its cure. 

"Dec. 9. How prone the mind is to rove uncontrolled. Left 
without strict restraint, it soon forms a habit of consuming its 
time in trifling and in vain imaginations. In this way Satan 
often successfully attacks man. The thoughts being once left 
to range uncontrolled, duty and religion are soon lost sight of, 
or at least lose much of their importance in our view. This 
must be the result. For these are subjects that require a large 
amount of close and deep consideration, which is most irksome 
in this state of mind. Alarmed at the extent to which my mind 
has of late fallen into this state, I have resolved now to make a 
determined eff"ort to overcome it. Now let me observe how 
much I may have improved by the next time I turn to my 
journal. 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. - i I 

"Jan. 1, 1854. The new year. 1853 is no more. It has gone 
into the abyss of the past. Its opportunities are no more. Its 
events and transactions are over. All that now remains is to 
reflect on these, and endeavour to deduce lessons from them ; 
also to render thanks for the blessings of that period. During 
the past year temporal interests have been greatly blessed. My 
undertakings have prospered. Many have been my preserva- 
tions from temptations and dangers. My si^iritual matters 
have been blessed. I now enter on a new year in circumstances 
much improved ; health of body and vigour of mind much in- 
creased, also my soul's concerns more dear to me. Grreat is the 
amount of gratitude due to the Giver of all good. 

"How shall I spend the coming year? What is before me? 
There is a world of temptation. The course to life is difficult, 
steep, craggy. On each side are allurements, places of repose 
and pleasure are presented, the world inviting to these, and 
none to help or encourage in the way. I would run to the Rock 
of ages, to whom I would cling and look for help and deliver- 
ance. And now let me be more anxious in thy cause, to pro- 
mote thy glory and the good of others. Let it be my endeavour 
to avoid foolish and gay company, for great is the evil I have 
received from such in the past year. Let me be more watchful 
over my conversation. Out of the abundance of the heart let 
the mouth speak. May I guard my thoughts more. Let me 
be more given to self-examination, for during the past I have 
found the time so employed to be my happiest, and most productive 
of good. Let me be more given to the study of the character 
of Grod and of my own ; to the study of the Bible. Oh, may I 
find more and more delight in thy service ; and now in the com- 
mencement of another year, I would commit myself unto thee, 
who hast led aU our fathers, entreating that thou wouldst direct 
me in the right way and enable me to walk therein ! 

"Feb. 5. The easy road from G-od. It is to mingle freely 
with the world, the young, your companions. Thej^ niay, 
many of them, be professors. But spend the most of your 
leisure hours in the way they commonly do, and soon the evil 
one has a great work accomplished. Proper watchfulness is at 
an end — prayer cold — G-od removed to a distance — spii-itual 



72 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

things little attended to. Of these facts I have had a sad ex- 
perience. Six months have now glided away since I came here. 
It has been prolific in temporal blessings and successes. M}'' 
health has improved to a state much better than it has been for 
years. In all these respects the goodness of Grod has been far 
beyond deservings. But while he has thus been dealing gra- 
ciously with me in these respects, I have great reason to lament 
my coolness to him, my growing neglect. This evil I think I 
can trace to a want of fervent entreaties to be strengthened 
against the peculiar temptations of my new situation — a want 
of watchfulness against these and a want of thankfulness on 
the reception of his blessings, which justly caused him to leave 
me to my own inclinations. These I consider to be the primary 
causes which led to the temptations previously mentioned. This 
backsliding I have to lament, and the loss is more than can be 
told. May it prove a warning to me and a caution against these 
causes of conduct. Now, Lord, return to me as in former 
days!" 

At the opening of the next term of the Synod's 
Seminary in March following, he proceeded to the 
West River, and attended during the following six 
months the classes at the institution, then under the 
charge of Professors Ross and M'Culloch. We do not 
feel it necessary to advert particularly to his studies 
during this term, but continue our extracts from his 
private journal. 

' ' West River, March 5. After the expiration of six months I 
atn again brought back to this place. During this time I have 
prospered. No calamity has befallen me. My health has been 
pre.-erved, while many have lost theirs. I have been tossed up 
and down through the world, yet no accident has happened to me. 
I have Leon preserved from all gross sins — have been strength- 
ened in many temptations, have been among most kind friends. 
Lodged in the bosom of a most Christian family, I was situated 
ar-corfling to my previous prayers. Is it necessary to mention 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. 73 

that this calls for strong expressions of gratitude and renewed 
consecration of myself and all that I have to the Giver of these 
blessings? While though the recipient of so jnany blessings, and 
under the continued enjoyment of his favours, yet as before men- 
tioned, I have to deplore many evils and much negligence in the 
seeking and the service of God. Oh, the bitter results which 
have graduallj^ arisen from this ! Duty is discharged in a languid 
manner, and the chief motives are almost winked out of sight. 
Oh, may I learn a salutary lesson from bitter experience ! Grant 
me strength, Lord, to be ever watchful against the tempta- 
tions of my present situation. May I be more watchful over 
motives — over my heart — more reflective — much more earnest 
and anxious in the service of my God. Oh, for aid, direction, 
and efficiency in prayer ! Now, Lord, return to nie, and bless 
me in mj present situation. May I here partake largely of the 
light of th}" countenance. 

"March 10. Of all the duties of Christians none is more im- 
portant, none more neglected than that of a close and rigid in- 
spection of our motives. Whatever the act, let us know well the 
motive which incited to it. Let this be ever the subject of care- 
ful and prayerful consideration. See that the centre to which 
they all tend is the glory of God. Carelessness on this point 
leads to alarming consequences. Driven from one act to another 
by mere impulse, or by the wiles of the wicked one, the great 
end of our existence is soon winked out of sight and forgotten. 

God, preserve me from this fatal neglect ! ' 

"June 15. This day twenty-four years have rolled over me 
with all their changes. When I look back, they appear as a tale 
that hath been told. Yes, nothing strikes me more forciblj'", as I 
review them, than the speedy and unprofitable manner in which 
they appear to have glided siway. Thus as I review life in all its 
vanity, and behold its emptiness, I almost despise it. Were it 
not for the blessed word I would despond of life. But what con- 
solations are to be found for persons under such feelings ! When 

1 look back on the past I see innumerable and weighty reasons 
for gratitude to Him who has led me in all the way. This should 
be a strong motive to induce me to devote myself more to his 
service. But here long experience has taught me that promises 

7 



74 MEMOIR OF S. P. JOHNSTON. 

for future amendment are of little value. It is much easier to 
promise future reforms than actually to commence them. Alas, 
the convenient reasons for fulfilling these resolves never conie. 
But experience has taught me this, to say the present is the time 
I now commence to do this. No future period will suit, no time 
but the present. 

"23. Oh how great reason we have to praise and adore thee, 
Grod, that thou hast so constituted our nature, that we expe- 
rience the most pure and unmingled joy or inward peace and 
delight in doing thy will, in benefiting our fellows ! Also the 
greater our zeal in it and the purer our motives, so much greater 
this complacent satisfaction. Ihave reason to thank thee, Father, 
that in Sabbath-school teaching I have enjoyed a portion of this 
delight, but nothing to what I would have experienced, had my 
motives been more pure. 

"30, Selfishness or partiality of affections on a few chosen ob- 
jects, who may have some peculiarly interesting and pleasing 
properties, is little in accordance wdth the pattern set us by our 
Lord. It detracts from their expansiveness. It takes away 
their delightfulness and nobleness, and destroys our usefulness. 
Let the limits of their range be only the limits of the human 
family. Then will they strengthen, become more noble in cha- 
racter, and the source of the most exquisite pleasure. Just so 
much the more will we become assimilated to our Master ; and may 
expect his blessing and success in all our endeavours to be use- 
ful. May I ever remember this, ever seek help to do so. and re- 
member the injury the opposite has been to my usefulness, my 
peace, my happiness — how much it detracted from the respect 
others had for me, and how much it deterred me from duty and 
caused me to fall under thy displeasure. 

" Aug. 25. As I consider the varied and innumerable blessings 
which come to me through the gospel, and the value of these, 
and how much my happiness and .every interest are dependent 
on these, how forcibly does it remind me of my responsibilities 
and my duty to extend these blessings to those who do not 
possess them. What would be more delightful than to be en- 
gaged in such a work. How can a conscious being possess these 
and not long to be communicating them to others who are with- 



COLLEGIATE COURSE. 75 

out them ! May I be tlius engaged ! Oh, prepare me for the 
work !" 

We have given these lengthened extracts from Mr. 
Johnston's diary, when attending college, as we believe 
that they are fitted to be useful to our young men at 
this important period of life. The energy and persever- 
ance with which he struggled against various difiiculties 
may encourage others in a similar course. But espe- 
cially would we hope that these solemn communings 
with his own spirit and earnest drawings towards Uod, 
at a time of life when so many spend their days in 
vanity, may be profitable to others at that interesting 
era in their history. College life presents many fasci- 
nating temptations to youth, among which many have 
made shipwreck of their highest interests, to the anguish 
of many a parent, while others have been saved as by 
fire, and still many more of those who afterwards oc- 
cupied honourable positions in society, have not passed 
through the ordeal without a stain. In these circum- 
stances this instance of a young man most diligent in 
his studies, but at the same time maintaining the life of 
the soul by deep searchings of heart and a close walk 
with God, and thus keeping his garments unspotted, 
may lead others, while engaged in -the eager pursuit of 
knowledge, or surrounded by the temptations of college 
life, to remember the one thing needful, and jmay excite 
some of those who have named the name of Christ, to 
greater watchfulness over their hearts, to avoid con- 
formity to the world and to seek closer assimilation to 
the Saviour. " He that is begotten of God keepeth 
himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." 



76 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THEOLOGICAL STTIDIJES. 

At the close of his third term at the Synod's institu- 
tion, on the 1st September, 1854, he was admitted to the 
Theological Classes under the care of the late Dr. Keir 
and Dr. Smith. This had been the great object to which 
all his studies had been directed. . We give here an ex- 
tract of a letter written on the 19th May previous, par- 
ticularly as it exhibits his views in reference to study- 
ing for the ministry. 

TO AN AUNT. 

" Such is the nature of this life that friends, however much 
they may wish it, cannot enjoy the pleasures of uninterrupted 
fellowship. Duty calls friends to separate, and in most of cases 
permits them but seldom to meet, and then only for a very 
limited period. It not unfrequently requires persons to tear 
themselves from all that is most beloved by them in this world, 
and to bid them all a final farewell. This must be to the sensi- 
tive mind most painful. But there is consolation even in this 
peculiar situation. The individual can look forward to a period 
when he shall meet all his true friends bej^ond the reach of woe. 
Rev. xxi. 2, 4, and that then they will never more be required 
to separate. Let it be your and my endeavour to so live that 
when the trials of this life are over, we may meet there, and 
also meet all our excellent relations and friends who were near 
and dear to us, where we shall no more be troubled with the 



THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 77 

painful thought, that the hour of separation is fast approach- 
ing. 

" I have not forgotten the hours we have spent together. I 
remember well — perhaps you may have forgotten — ^your last 
words to me, as I was leaving your house the first time I came 
here. They were, ' Remember, you are not going to learn a 
common trade. ' They are simple, but full of meaning. They 
rang in my ears, and would suggest such thoughts as these, 
What am I going to learn ? Am I qualified ? So still do they 
remain fresh as ever on my mind, and ever will. One reason 
of this was that I had been thinking deeply on this before. It 
was not a few moments' consideration that induced me to adopt 
the course I did. It had been bearing on my mind for years be- 
fore there was the least opening to accomplish my object. It 
ever increased, and gave me no quiet, though I felt my unfit- 
ness. The way was dark and obscure, as it has often been 
since. But I resolved to make the eff"ort — the way was opened 
up. And ever since, as obstacles which appear insuperable 
present themselves in my way, just as I approach them, 
and they seem as if they would impede my course, thej^ are 
all dispelled, and in a way unthought of by me. Thus I 
commenced, thus I have proceeded, thus I intend to continue 
the course which I am now pursuing — ever seeking direction 
from Him, who is all wise in counsel ; and while the way ap- 
pears open I will consider it n\y duty cheerfully to proceed ; but 
if it is hedged up, then I will think it my duty cheerfully to re- 
linquish this and follow some other course of life, trusting that 
the labour I have expended in my studies will not be lost, but 
will enable me to be more useful in whatever station my lot may 
be cast. 

"I am enjoying excellent health, such as has not been my lot to 
enjoy for years before. This is a blessing, the value of which 
cannot be realized by those who have never experienced the 
want of it. I never succeeded so well as I am now doing in my 
studies. I find that learning is daily becoming less difficult. 
But do not infer from this that it is becoming to me an easy 

task." 

7 * 



78 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

The entries in his journal at this time are of a simi- 
lar strain. 

' ' Sept. 3. Contemplations relative to engaging in the study 
of divinity. When I have life and all its blessings from God, 
should it not be wholly devoted to his service, the promotion of 
his honour and glory ? Then, how is this to be done ? The Scrip- 
tures inform us that it is in doing good to others and ourselves. 
How pleasing the answer, how calculated to excite gratitude, 
that it is such a delightful duty he requires, viz. , To benefit our 
fellows. It is not an unpleasant work, but one which, when en- 
tered upon in a right spirit, has soul- satisfying sweetness con- 
nected with it. With what zeal and love should we then enter 
upon it. 

"10. I have now entered upon that course to which I have 
so long looked forward, and respecting which I have so often 
prayed. I have ever prayed that I should be prevented from 
entering upon it, if uncalled, or if not seeking to enter it from 
proper motives. From examination, humbly trusting that the 
latter are proper, and evidence appearing so plainly to indicate 
the former, I have been encouraged to take this step. And 
now, Lord, I would supplicate thy guidance and assistance. 

" Oct. 15. The term has nearly expired. During this period 
I have experienced much of the goodness of the Lord. I en- 
tered upon it in much weakness, but notwithstanding the in- 
creasing toil to which I have been subject, my health has much 
improved. I would take this for a token of thine approval of 
the course which I have taken. I have to lament that during 
this time I have been so unceasingly engaged in my studies, that 
I did not attend properly to my soul — to my motives, or in a 
word, to meditation. May I be more watchful in this point 
hereafter. The devil ensnares some even by urging them in the 
pursuit of knowledge. I have much reason for gratitude and 
encouragement from the success which has attended my labours. 
In conclusion I would supplicate, God, thy blessing to rest 
upon efforts at improvement, for it is thy blessing only that will 
render them efficient or useful. May they tend to prepare me 
for usefulness in thy church and world. And now, when I am 



THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 79 

about to leave and be placed in other circumstances, I plead, 
Lord, for thy continued presence, counsel, and aid, for, unas- 
sisted, I am weak, erring, ever liable to fall and to give the 
enemy cause to blaspheme. Lord, when in my new situation, 
strengthen thou me against my peculiar temptations, my be- 
setting sins ! Oh that I may be an instrument in thy hands of 
doing much good — of promoting thine honour and glory ! May 
I be enabled to enter upon the discharge of my duties from pure 
mo*tives. May I have a benevolence extending to every indi- 
vidual alike. May it not be mixed with any selfishness, being 
concentrated on certain persons, who may have more to excite 
regard than others. Especially may I be enabled to keep a 
close inspection over the state of my soul. Now, Lord, 1 
would commit myself to thee, deal bountifully with thy servant. 
Establish the work of my hands. ' ' 

At that time the Theological Classes only continued 
during six weeks, the students, during the remainder 
of the year, being generally engaged in teaching and 
prosecuting their studies under the direction of Pres- 
byteries. Mr. Johnston was thus employed for the 
next ten months, and in 1855 again attended the Hall 
at West River. We have not seen his diary for this 
period, nor have we any incidents of that portion of his 
life worth relating. 

At the close of the Theological Classes in that year, 
(1855), he proceeded to Princeton, N. J., to attend the 
Theological Seminary there. A few extracts from his 
correspondence while there may be interesting. 

TO HIS FATHER AND MOTHER. 

" Oct. 22, 1855. I feel it due to you — I also take pleasure in 
the duty — to inform you as correctlj^ as possible, respecting the 
nature of the influences that operate on me here. 

" I. My Professors. They, as you doubtless understand, from 



80 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

the nature of the relation in which we stand to each other, will 
exert the most powerful influence over my mind for good or 
ill. The first inquiry then in reference to such persons is what 
is their piety. I have every reason to form a high estimate of 
them in this respect. To give us the simple truths of Scripture 
appears to be their highest ambition. To improve every oppor- 
tunity to impress on our minds that salvation is all of grace, and 
its importance, is their unceasing care. Their preaching is the 
most practical I have ever had the pleasure of listening to'. I 
think that I have never received so much profit from preaching 
in the same time. It always appears to me just such food as 
the fallen soul requires. 

' ' II. My companions. Their influence for good or evil is 
next to that of the teachers. I am not to be their judge, but I 
believe that there are those among them who have enjoyed the 
tender watchfulness of pious mothers (the greatest of earthly 
blessings) which, under Grod, has formed in them the deep-laid 
principles of humility and piety. Thus they pass along through 
life, softly, unassumingly, and unnoticed, deeply, I had almost 
said, awfully, impressed with the magnitude of the work, to 
which they are looking forward ; and prayerfully^ and laboriously 
endeavouring to qualify themselves for it. There are others re- 
specting whom I would rather remain silent. I may farther 
add that I am little with them except in class. Do not suppose 
from this that I cannot gain associates here, quite the contrary. 
I could soon be surrounded with attached friends. This has 
always been my lot, to my injury. They seem to be surprised 
at my retired habits, and sympathize with me as a stranger, and 
wish me to make more free with them. 

"III. If I say I am without earthly companions, I can, at 
the same time, say that my little room is a sweet, sacred little 
retreat to me. When my duties which call me from it are dis- 
charged, all my inclination is to get back to my hallowed retreat, 
and to my studies again. Here without any one I spend the 
most contented and happiest moments, I have ever spent, since 
I left the sacred little family circle that surrounded the parental 
hearth. I have learned to do without earthly friends. My 
thoughts are now very difi"erently employed to what they have 



THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 81 

beeu. But do not take false impressions from my statements. 
Do not suppose that my attachment for home is dying away. 
No, time cannot produce such an effect upon it. But it must be 
subordinate to more important attachments. Matt. x. 37 ; 
Luke ix. 59, 60. 

"Oct. 24. There are considerations weighing more and more 
heavily on my mind. I may just mention that I received the 
Register to-day. What a pitiful, heart-rending tale does it tell 
to any one, who views the subject properly. The Board's* appeal, 
repeated again and again for assistance for Mr. Greddie, has received 
uo response. Yes, and what renders it doubly lamentable is, that 
there are thousands who are famishing for sj^iritual food, and 
anxious to get it. Who can remain deaf to such cries as come 
from those who are standing in need of food, which, if they do 
not get very soon, they shall eternally perish? Ah! sons and 
daughters of Nova Scotia, are your hearts destitute of sjmipathy, 
are your souls totally emptied of all benevolence? Have you 
ever read the commission our Saviour gave to the Church? 
Do you think you are obej^ing his commands ? Do you think 
that if he made such great sacrifices to obtain salvation for the 
human race, you ought not also to make great, very great 
sacrifices to make all acquainted with it ? Do you think you can 
make too great sacrifices to do so ? 

"But more, the Board has made an appeal to Scotland. This 
is too painful a consideration to reflect upon. Has Grod opened 
up for you such an inviting field, so crowned with success the 
labours of our missionaries, and you will not go up fully to pos- 
sess it? You will leave it for others? Ah there is something 
wi'ong ! Your conduct is so different from that of your Master, 
it is impossible he can shower down his spiritual blessing on you 
liberally. My heart ached as I read the report of the Board of 
Foreign Missions. These things more and more affect my mind. 
They occupy a large place in my thoughts. I suppose that you 
will think this wrong, and I myself sometimes think so too. But 
I would not be otherwise. I think I can see clearly the hand 
of Providence, in this respect, in bringing me here. I have 
heard three missionaries just from the foreign field, two from 

* Of Foreign Missions. 



82 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

China and one from Siam. It is they who can tell of the wants 
of the poor heathen. I have received much information from 
them, also much from other sources. I would not have the 
privilege of hearing one from a heathen land in Nova Scotia. 
They have made impressions on my mind that will not soon be 
effaced. ' ' 

The last seems to have been written with the view of 
preparing. the minds of his parents for the announce- 
ment of his intended course. He continues. 

"I sometimes think of your circumstances. I believe the 
only consideration which would justify your moving, would be 
the want of opportunity to educate your family. Truly this is a 
great disadvantage. But permit me, not as a dictator to you, 
but simply as a suggestor, as one who has learned from experi- 
ence, to tell you that you can make up the loss to a great extent. 
You can educate them in the Scriptures. Endeavour by various 
means, not by coercion, but by such means as prudence would 
suggest, to make the younger children commit to memory a cer- 
tain portion of Scripture daily, if it be ever so small. If this 
is properly attended to it will soon become a pleasant task. Of 
course it will be trouble to you, but what that is valuable can be 
obtained without labour ? Look at the result. With what is 
the mind thus filled ? How many evil thoughts are excluded. 
How many weapons are furnished to oppose the evil one fur- 
nished at hand. Matt. iv. 10. Is not this the lesson we are 
to learn from Psalm cxix. 11 ? Had I daily, as I now do, when 
I had little else to do, hid a certain portion of this treasure in 
my heart, I would not now give it for all the treasure in the world. 
Had I thus spent some of my leisure, I would not now regard 
my not having had an opportunity of schooling when young. 

' ' 25. Yesterday I received the Register and Witness, and to- 
day a letter. I may add, never was anything more acceptable. 
All well! How often have I been delighted to meet these 
pleasing words in your letters. How long shall it continue thus? 
We leave it with Him who does all things well." 



THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 8."] 

After referring to some private matters he goes on to 
say: 

" It is my desire that you know my circumstances exactly, and 
that I do nothing that may occasion you any trouble or anxiety. 
My greatest earthly concern, is never to do anything that will 
pain the hearts of either of you. I hope and believe that God 
in his great mercy will so guide and support me that I shall 
never do so. 

" My health never was so good before. You who have always 
enjoyed it, and who have little idea of hov/ much I have suffered 
from the want of it, cau have little idea of the impression which 
this makes on my mind. I fear I cannot wisely improve it, that 
I have not sujB&cient gratitude, that I may not be receiving it in 
covenant love, that I may grow wedded to the world. I never 
laboured so constantly before. It seems to me as if the arm of 
the Omnipotent was holding me up. 

"In reference to my money, I want it as soon as possible. 
As to coming here, I can only say, as this letter is full, that I 
am most happily disappointed in every respect except expense. 
This is dark. But the silver and gold are at the disposal of Him 
who does all things well. I have hitherto been provided for, 
and I trust I will still. It does not disturb my peace." 

TO HIS FATHER. 

"Jan. 3, 1856. I have just received your letter to-day, which 
has been delayed by some blunder ; and it is Grod's care over it 
that has forwarded it at all. I am very much grieved that my 
money matters should have given you so much uneasiness. I 
never was more contented in reference to my pecuniar}^ matters 
than I have been all along. True, I have been for about two 
months in a distant land and far from friends with only fifty 
cents, but I believe I was far more contented than the prince 
with his thousands. While I had no monej' there were no de- 
mands made on me. I have always found, that just, as I really 
required means, they have been provided for me. I always en- 
deavour to use the means in my power to provide for my pecu- 



84 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

niary wants, and then commit my case to God, knowing that 
the silver and the gold are his, and such a portion of them as it 
is good for me to have he will in some way provide for me. 
Therefore I wish you to give yourself no uneasiness about my 
money matters. I have been provided for, and IioiU he. 

"But my mind is not so easy in reference to other things con- 
nected with my calling. My qualifications and preparations for 
the work to which I have devoted myself are the subjects which 
occasion me serious thoughts. If there is anything respecting 
me which gives you anxiety, let it be this. Let not my money 
matters or personal comfort occasion you trouble. I should be 
sorry to know that such trifling momentary things were a trouble 
to you. If we do but faithfully discharge our duty to Grod and 
our fellow-creatures, it matters little what befalls us here, or how 
our worldly matters go. 

"The longer I have attended, the better I am pleased that I 
came on here. True, it has been very expensive, but I do not 
think that expense is the first thing to be considered. I am en- 
joying good health. Though a stranger among strangers, I al- 
ways find friends whenever I stand in need of them. I am as- 
tonished at the confidence placed in me, being a stranger." 

We may add a few extracts from his journal at this 

time. 

" Nov. 25, A day of much trouble ; cannot feel that my sins 
were weighing upon the Saviour on the cross ; cannot hate sin 
properly. In this state I can never love properly — can never 
have proper zeal and earnestness in his cause, 

"28. Pride and unhallowed ambition render me miserable. 
In all that I do I am constantly annoyed with a feeling spring- 
ing up in my mind that it is self that is accomplishing this, and 
may I do it so as that I may be admired. 

"29. In heated debates there is nothing congenial to spirit- 
uality of mind. It grieves the Spirit, excites human ambition, 
and expels all devotional feeling. I believe that we are most 
insensible to the injury that is done to the soul. Oh, may I 
shun it ju.vt af< I would the beginning of sin ! Lord, preserve me 



THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 85 

from every appearance of evil ! It is thus I have been drawn 
into sin to da,y, 

" Dec. 4. Obtained much peace of mind to-day in answer to 
prayer. But I note down a word or two in reference to the 
manner in which I obtained it, that it may be of use to me here- 
after. I had formerl}'^ come to Christ with too much pride — 
feehng that I should do something myself — feeling ashamed on 
account of my numerous sins, and hence there was a reluctance 
in coming. But now Lwas enabled to come without this feel- 
ing, and to confess fully and freely in the language of the fifty- 
first Psalm. As Christ is more willing to receive us than we are 
to come, may I always be enabled thus to come, and then my 
heart will glow with love and gratitude to him. 

" 9. Had much comfort in attending to the public ordinances 
of Grod's worship. My soul was enabled to rise through them 
to the heavenly sanctuary, and there to catch a glimpse of its 
glories and future bliss. It was then that I felt that I could 
cheerfull}^ part with all most near and dear to me, to go and 
communicate these blessings to others. My soul was inflamed 
with a desire to do so. I also felt more gratitude to Grod for 
his ordinances, which in his infinite mercy he has pleased to es- 
tabhsh upon earth, than ever I did before. 

" 10. How sin blights both the physical and moral constitu- 
tion! How wretched it makes the subject of it! Oh, how 
happy we shall be when delivered from it ! Who can love the 
Saviour sufficiently for delivering us from sin and its eternal 
consequences. 

"16. Four difficult lessons for the sinner to learn, though we 
would suppose that they would be most readil37^ learned : First, 
Want of ability to save self. Second, To accept salvation with- 
out some price. Third, To come to Christ without making self 
some better : viz. , removing some of the filth of sin. And, 
Fourth, Not to have some share in that work. Just in so far 
as we do thoroughlj^ learn these four lessons, will be the amount 
of comfort we will exj)erience in coming to Grod. 

"22. One great reason why we so improperly discharge our 
devotional exercises, is that we do not seek to acquire enlarged 
and definite viev/s or ideas of Grod's various perfections." 
8 



86 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

It was at this time that his long cherished desire to 
engage in missionary work among the heathen ripened 
into a decision to tender his services to the Board of 
Foreign Missions, of the Presbyterian Church of Nova 
Scotia, with a special view to the South Sea Islands. 
For some time that church had had the Rev. John Ged- 
die employed as their sole missionary. He was sta- 
tioned on the island of Aneiteum, the southernmost of 
the New Hebrides Group, labouring with his devoted 
"wife, without the aid or the encouragement of 8 single 
brother missionary, and some hundreds of miles distant 
from any other Mission station, and thus in a state 
of complete isolation from the whole Christian world. 
His situation appealed strongly to the sympathy of the 
church, and though every effort had been made by the 
Board and the church to send some to his assistance, 
their efforts for some time had been entirely unsuccess- 
ful, and it was only after considerable delay and many 
urgent appeals, that at length, about this time, they 
were able to send out the Bev. G. N. Gordon, who af- 
terward suffered martyrdom on Erromanga. Mr. John- 
ston's mind was deeply affected by these appeals. He 
had for years had his mind filled with a desire to labour 
in the foreign field, and this state of things brought him 
to the resolution to tender his services for that work. 
The resolution at last was not adopted without serious 
deliberation and earnest prayer. The following are tlie' 
entries in his diary on the subject : 

" Dec. 22. This day I received a letter from Bev. William Mc- 
CuUoch, in reference to occupying a station in the Foreign Mission 
field. 

"24. I have been these two days eonsidei-ing what answer I 



THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 87 

shall return — the peculiar nature of. the work — the peculiar 
qualifications which it requires — whether I am qualified for such 
a most arduous, responsible work — whether the indications of 
Providence are inviting me to the field or not — whether I have 
an inward call or not, &c. 

' ' It has been a trying season. I have been praying much — 
reflecting much — but there is much darkness. I have, indeed, 
many and varied temptations — strong and soul-destroying temp- 
tations. At times I wished myself in the silent grave. But I 
was enabled to pray, Lord, if thou hast any work for me to 
do in advancing thy kingdom, I shall cheerfully continue to con- 
tend with the trials and temptations that beset me here, depend- 
ing on thy support at all times ; but if thou hast no work for 
me to do, take me now to thyself, where I may praise thee with- 
out sinning. I was at last enabled to come to a conclusion that 
it is my duty to oifer my services for the Foreign Mission field. 
Accordingly I have written a letter to-day to Mr. M'Culloch, 
giving him my views on the subject, and also profiering my ser- 
vices hereafter to this work. I record the words, that I may 
keep in mind what I have done and what it requires of me. 

' ' I am now prepared to say cheerfully that I have, after a 
long and anxious deliberation, resolved to devote my physical 
and mental powers wholly to missionary labour in a foreign 
field, there to spend and be spent. Hence, through you, I 
cheerfully place myself under the oversight of your Foreign 
Mission Board, and hereafter shall feel mj^^self bound to cheer- 
fully follow out its instructions, and consider your Board as, 
under Grod, my rightful directors ; and may I never be the oc- 
casion of bringing any disgrace on the cause of Grod, and may 
every feeling which I indulge — every thought which I cherish — 
every word which I speak, and every act which I do, tend to 
the glory of Grod and the benefit of souls. And may the good 
Lord direct your Board in all its deliberations in reference to 
me ; and to Grod be all the glory for ever and ever. Amen. ' ' 

His resolution he thus announces to his parents : 

" I may just mention (but I do not wish you to make it public) 



88 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

that I have received a letter from the Rev. William M'Cullocli 
respecting my devoting myself to the Foreign field. After much 
anxious thought, and without any earthly friend to consult for 
advice. I have resolved to devote myself to the work of Foreign 
Missions, and have placed myself under the oversight of the 
Foreign Mission Board, if they shall be pleased to accept me as 
a candidate for the Foreign field. I now hold myself bound to 
go wherever they direct, and wherever they may require. I have 
not done so without much misgiving. I know that I have but 
very imperfect ideas of what I am taking upon myself. In a few 
words I will state the more prominent considerations which have 
induced me to do so. All the human family are to be brought 
to a knowledge of the truth. Grod has ordained that this shall 
be accomplished by human instrumentalit3\ Now it is certain 
that the very best qualified human agent, without God's guid- 
ance and assistance, will utterly fail to advance this work. But 
with Grod assisting, the weakest can do all things, and without 
his assistance the strongest can do nothing. Hence, knowing 
the great want of labourers in the Foreign field, I, though weak and 
unqualified for such a work, have given myself to Him to use 
me as an instrument in this great work, trusting that he will 
perfect strength in weakness. But, in the second place, in or- 
der to have a title to such favours, we must have a call to the 
work. I consider, from my own inward feelings, and a long train 
of providential events, that I have such a call. I dare not refuse. 
But I have not time to write more on this, as I am very much 
hurried. 

' ' I suppose that the idea of my being entirely separated from 
you both for a time will occasion you painful feelings. This thouglit 
makes it much more painful to me. But you made me such : 
and you must not be grieved with the fruits of your own labours. 
But, farther, it is folly to grieve at this. A few short days at 
most, and this occasion of trouble will be for ever removed, and 
we all shall meet to part no more. Now, if we can cheer our- 
selves with such blessed hopes in thi-s life, it ought to be our 
constant and earnest effort to comnmnicate such Ijle.ssings to the 
poor heathen, who have no such consolation or cheering prospects. 
Let such thoughts diy up every tear, and cause us to cease think- 



THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 89 

ing about ourselves and our momentary feelings, but to turn all 
our thoughts to this great work — the work of every Christian." 

Writing to another friend about the same time, and 
giving a similar account of his resolution, he adds : 

" I may just mention that this desire came with my infancy 
and has grown with my growth, though it has ever been con- 
cealed from my nearest friends until very lately. Though at 
times I have felt as if I would gladly escape from such a life, yet 
this thought has always been too painful for me to cherish. I 
never could endure to indulge such thoughts. There was always 
something in my mind which warned me against such thoughts. 
Though I believe that there is no human being who would or 
could take more pleasure in living in the midst of kind and be- 
loved friends, and take more delight in having a home of his own 
in their midst, yet I could never delight myself with the fond 
anticipation that such was to be my lot." 

About a fortnight later he thus writes to his father : 

"I have perused yours of the 26th ult. with no ordinary 
degree of pleasure, but only have time to write a few words in 
reply. I think I have been pretty faithful in writing to you, and 
I trust you will excuse this. When I read yours I almost felt 
as if I had done wrong in devoting myself to the Foreign Mission 
work without farther counselling you. I thought before of this, 
but having written to you previously respecting it, I thought that 
I had done all that duty to a parent required of me. Since I 
have devoted myself to it I do not feel the same anxiety. It has 
reheved m.y mind of a burden. I shall endeavour to do all in 
my power to qualify myself for the work, and leave the rest with 
God, knowing that if he has called me to it, he will give me 
every needed qualification." 

One curious circumstance regarding his final resolu- 
tion is worthy of notice. When seriously considering 
the subject, he wrote to the Rev. James Watson, his 
late pastor, asking his advice in reference to it. At 
8 * 



90 • MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

the same time he was expecting a letter from Rev. Mr. 
M'Culloch on other matters about which he was in cor- 
respondence. Instead of this he received a letter 
from him encouraging him to engage in Foreign Mis- 
sion work. Such a letter, at such a time, and from a 
source so unexpected, was quite unaccountable, and un- 
questionably had a powerful influence upon his mind. 

"The reason," he remarks in a subsequent letter, 
"why Mr. M'Culloch wrote to me is not fully known to 
myself. I had been corresponding with Mr. Watson, 
and I think it must have originated from this. He 
never answered my letter. He only stated that he was 
glad to change the correspondence to something more 
pleasing and edifying." 

But the secret was that he had misdirected his letters, 
that intended for Mr. M'Culloch having gone to Mr. 
Watson, and vice versa. Doubtless even this was the 
arrangement of Him, who disposes all events, and we 
do not know that he ever learned the true state of the 
case. 

While in the state of mind described in the letter 
quoted, he prepared an appeal to the church, on the 
subject of missions to the heathen, entitled, " A cry for 
increased missionary zeal," which was published in the 
Christian Instructor, and which gave to the church at 
large the first indication of the spirit which animated 
him. 

We give some further extracts from his journal while 
at Princeton. 

"January 1, 1856. Another year is no more. All its cares, 
anxieties, toils, pains, pleasures, and joys are lost in the vast 
oblivion of the past. All its opportunities for serving my God, 



THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 91 

benefiting mj'^ fellows, preparing for the active duties of life, are 
gone, gone for ever. All its acts, whether for good or ill, are 
fixed for ever. Many, very many, have been removed to the 
great tribunal, to render an account of their lives, but I am per- 
mitted to enter upon another year. Many, very many, have 
entered upon this year in poverty and wretchedness, in pain and 
anguish of soul, in vice and degradation. But through the in- 
finite mercy of my God, I have been brought into it under 
favourable auspices. I have this day been taking a retrospec- 
tive view of the past year. Some of my thoughts I note down 
to be a warning to me hereafter. I shall first notice the errors 
of the year. 

" First, Pride- — It I shall consider under four different heads. 

1. A desire for notoriety, anxious that self might be particularly 
distinguished in the various movements going on in society. 

2. A sincere desire to honour Grod and to do good, poisoned with 
a feverish(?) anxiousness that self might be seen conspicuously 
in all the efforts produced to this end. 3. Prompting me wheu 
.preparing for the discharge of duties, to endeavour to do it in 
such a manner, as will bring honour upon self. 4. Prompting 
me to strive to do great, startling things, such as would excite 
attention, and to neglect and criminally underrate little every-day 
things, by attending to which I might most eminently have 
glorified Grod. 

"Secondly, Company. — The error here was spending far too 
large a portion of my time in company. 

"Thirdly, Pleasure. — The error here consisted in indulging to a 
most sinful excess in those amusements and pastimes, which ac- 
cording to the popular opinion are perfectly innocent, but are in 
reality the poison of the soul. 

II.. The evils from the second and third errors are : 1. They 
unfit the mind for deep, accurate, j^rotracted investigation of 
any subject. 2. They roll the mind off its longing after holiness 
and communion with God. 3. In the estimation of the mind 
labouring under these errors, time gradually becomes valueless, 
and opportunities for improvement of little account; or, in a 
word, that mind gradually forgets the great design of its exist- 
ence. 4. They gradually diminish our love to God and our fcl- 



92 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

lows, and our interest in our duties, and our abilities for the ac- 
tive discharge thereof. 5. They fill the mind with longings for 
earthly associations, and thus, as it were, bind the individual to 
this eai'th. 6. They succeed in so blinding the mind, that they 
actually cause it to believe that it is oppressed with labour, while 
in reality it is doing mere nothing. 7. They largely unfit for 
devotional exercises — cause them to be performed in a cool, in- 
different, and formal manner, without any real pleasure in them, 
or even render them irksome and burdensome. 

' ' Fourthly. — A fake metJiod of endeavouring to reclami the 
erring^ viz. , going halfway to meet them in order to get them to 
come halfway to meet me, with the view, that when I advanced 
to them the half distance, they would be easily induced to come 
the remainder. 

' ' The evil of this is, that instead of inducing them to relin- 
quish their errors, I gradually advanced to the same, perhaps 
■without ever in the least inducing them to relinquish their fol- 
lies, but by my example rather hardening them in theirs. The 
only way to correct errors in others is to take the straight path 
yourself and proclaim it to be the only proper one, and that 
there is not to be the least deviation from it. 

' ■ Fifthly. — A selfishness in ray efforts to henefit others^ viz. , be- 
ing more anxious to benefit those who were anxious to improve, 
and who had peculiar traits of character, which pleased my taste. 

' ' Sixthly. A want of decision and promptness. 

' ' Seventhly. Procrastination. The all devourer. 

" Eighthly. A want of deep, sincere, and enlightened love to 
God and to souls. 

"In the next place, I shall mention some of the important 
events of the past year. 

' ' I. My leaving my native Province to avail myself of the ad- 
vantages of study in another country. 

" II. On account of the peculiar station which I design to oc- 
cupy in life, if had for some time been an anxious thought to 
me, whom I should get as a companion. I formed an acquain- 
tance with one, whom, Grod by a series of providential events 
appeared to say to me, was to be the companion of my cares, 
toils and duties, also one who is not only naturally qualified for 



THEOLOGICAL STUDIES. 93 

the peculiar duties to which I have devoted myself, but also pe- 
culiarly suited to my disposition and imperfections. May the 
good God grant that this may be a union, which will tend largely 
to advance His glory and our souls' good. 

' ' III. My placing myself under the oversight of the Foreign 
Mission Board. Exhausted, I leave off this exercise before it 
is nearl}^ finished. 

" January 6. One of the greatest and most fatal delusions to 
which I feel myself subject is a constant tendency to consider 
that I will be more faithful and energetic in the discharge of my 
various duties hereafter — that I would act differently under dif- 
ferent circumstances. But let me remember that ' ' he that is 
unfaithful in little is unfaithful in much. ' ' What I am now I 
will be hereafter. If Grod does not grant me grace to be faith- 
ful now in that which is least, I have no reason to conclude that 
he will enable me to be faithful hereafter in that which is much. 

"11. The secret cause of mortification. The individual has 
been studiously labouring to prepare something which will raise 
him in the estimation of his fellow-beings. He may not be 
fullj^ conscious that such is his motive. His effort fails in ac- 
complishing that which in reality was his fondlj^ cherished object, 
consequently he must be filled with disappointment and chagrin. 
But, if he has been sincerely ^nd earnestly labouring to prepare 
himself to do or to speak something exclusively designed to fa- 
vour God's cause, though his efforts to appearance may fail, 
and only bring upon himself contempt, yet he will not feel the 
same mortification. He will be comforted by an inward con- 
sciousness, that he had done what was divinely required of him. 
He will leave God's cause in his own hands. He may be grieved 
and vexed, as the prophets of old were, when their inspired in- 
structions were scoffed at. This will lead him to his God in 
earnest prayer for his fellows. 

"13. On account of pecuniarj'^ embarrassment I am now 
placed under the necessity of leaving the Seminary. I have 
more than realized my most sanguine anticipation respecting the 
advantages to be derived from the course which I have pursued, 
but not in all instances in the way, manner, and results antici- 
pated, and in some instances quite different. 



94 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 



CHAPTER V. 

MISSIOJSr TO KANSAS. 

The state of his funds having rendered it necessary 
for him to leave the seminary, and being desirous to 
engage in some employment, in which he might be useful, 
he tendered his services as a colporteur to the Presby- 
terian Board of Publication. In taking this st6p he 
believed also that the work was one, which would help 
to prepare him for missionary labours among the hea- 
then. For the same reason he chose as the sphere of 
his operations the new territories of Kansas and Ne- 
braska, as he supposed that he would there come in con- 
tact with human nature in some of its worst forms, and 
that thus he would have a field of labours as like that 
of a heathen country as he could find in a Christian 
land. He thus intimates his resolution to his parents 
in a letter dated January 18, 1856. 

"I am going to Kansas and Nebraska as a sort of mis- 
sionary and colporteur before long. I could have obtained a 
field of labour here, but I preferred to go there for various 
reasons, one of which is that the work will be more prepara- 
tory for the duties to which I am looking forward. The 
Board has placed great confidence in me, and given me a situa- 
tion of much responsibility, also one that afi"ords me many op- 
portunities of doing good. I know not what is before me ; all 



MISSION TO KANSAS. 95 

is veiled in mystery. But I go trusting in Lira who knows the 
end from the beginning, and who has all things under his con- 
trol. He has ever been the breaker up of my way, and I trust 
that he will guide me still. Now there is one thing that I must 
say to you all, give yourselves no trouble respecting my safety. 
If I am in the way of my duty (which I trust I am) I shall be 
just as safe, as if I were in the family circle which surrounds 
the home hearth. Think not that I am full of uneasiness re- 
specting my future success, or that I feel discontented or lonely. 
It is just the reverse. True I feel loth to leave this place. 
My affections have got entwined with almost everything con- 
nected with it, so that I leave it with much the same feeling as 
in parting with home. It is one peculiar characteristic of my 
nature that I alwaj^s become attached to a place in which I re- 
side, and those with whom I associate. I believe that if I were 
on an Island of the Pacific, I would very soon become attached 
to it and its inhabitants. I suppose that you will be anxious to 
know how long I shall remain there. I cannot tell you how long. 
The future is all a secret. It will depend upon what are the in- 
dications of the will of Providence. I shall be very loth to leave 
until I have succeeded in establishing a system of colportage in 
these territories. 

" * * May the Lord be with you all and bless you and pre- 
serve you from every appearance of evil. It is not probable 
that we shall ever be much more together in time, but may you 
all remember your various duties to each other, and if we do not 
meet again in this vale of tears, may we all without one excep- 
tion meet where parting shall for ever be unknown, and unite in 
praising the Lord for ever and ever for his wonderful works to 
the sons of men." 

On the 24th he again writes from Philadelphia. 

'■ The Board of Publication has given me $50 to pay my ex- 
penses to Kansas, $265 worth of books and some thousands of 
pages of tracts. They have sent me oif and left it to my own 
judgment, whether I shall go to Kansas or Nebraska, and to 
what part of either of these I shall go. They have just com- 



9(3 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

missioned me to go there, and they give me the above amount, 
and will also send me as many more books as I shall order, and 
leave all the rest to myself. When I asked them for advice, 
they just said 'that it was a new country, that they knew little 
about it, and would just trust to my own judgment and pru- 
dence, and that I would require better counsel and guidance 
than they could give. They also tell me that I may be the 
means of giving a certain character to these new territories." 

The same day he left Philadelphia, and reached St. 
Louis on the morning of the 27th. If he expected to 
see wickedness at the West, he was not disappointed. 
The scenes at the hotel in that city on the Sabbath 
after his arrival were to him shocking, and prepared 
him for the state of society that he might expect to find 
in that region of country. '' Just to witness," he says, 
"" the scenes of wickedness in the public rooms of the 
hotel in which I am is horrifying. As I look upon the 
godless persons who are desecrating the holy Sabbath, 
I wonder if they have ever heard that there is a Sab- 
bath. I have not heard a single individual mention 
that it is the Sabbath, and one seeing them would sup- 
pose that they had never heard that there was such a 
day. And why is it that we have more regard for God's 
institutions ? It is because he has thrown around us 
more religious influences. From our earliest youth we 
have been taught to revere the Sabbath and all God's 
ordinances of worship." 

The supply of books, however, did not reach St. Louis 
so soon as he expected, so that he was detained a few 
days there, during which he had an opportunity of a fuller 
acquaintance with the city, and thus writes of it on the 
7th February : 



MISSION TO KANSAS. 97 

" We who have hecii brought up from our earliest in- 
fancy in what I now call a most religious and God-fear- 
ing country, are truly ignorant of the nature of man 
and the state of society in many parts of the world. 
Would that the church were as active in promoting the 
cause of her Master, as the friends of Satan are in ob- 
taining their own selfish ends. The activity of the men 
of the world should put Christians to the blush." 

" I have made acquaintance with several ministers, 
and have been treated very kindly and respectfully by 
them. I have as yet always found friends wherever I 
go. I am often told that my eyes and countenance are 
an index to my character, and are as good a recom- 
mendation as they wish." 

Wherever Mr. J. went, he had this facility of gaining 
the esteem of those with whom he came in contact. 
From the time of his leaving home he had carried on a 
large correspondence with friends and acquaintances. 
These letters express not only the kindliness of his na- 
ture and the strength of his affections, but are full of 
the natural outflow of Christian feeling, and an anxious 
desire to promote the spiritual interests of those to 
whom they were addressed. As a specimen of his ef- 
forts in the latter way, we may give an extract of a let- 
ter to a young sea captain, written from St. Louis. 

" * * *. But, my dear friend, may I say a word to j^'ou, as I 
have taken up my pen to write you ? Bemember that we were 
not born into this world to sport and flutter about for a time like 
so many butterflies, and then to sink into an eternal oblivion. No; 
we were sent into this world for one special purpose, and our 
Bible tells what this is. No matter what profession or mode of 
life we may live, the object is the same. An account of the 
9 



98 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON, 

manner in whicli we have spent our lives will be demanded of 
us, and the life which we may have lived will not in the least 
justify our neglecting this duty. In your profession you have 
abundant opportunities to do good, or to do wrong and exert an 
evil influence. Remember, whether you think it or not, you 
are constantly exerting an influence on those with whom you as- 
sociate, for good or evil. Remember the shortness of time and 
the length of eternity. Once more, forget not that there are only 
two conditions in which we can possibly spend eternity, and in 
one or other of these you must spend it. Receive these words 
as they are intended — they are written in sincere friendship." 

The young man to whom this was written is now in 
eternity. 

While waiting for the arrival of his books, he under- 
took a short tour into Illinois, to obtain subscribers for 
a Presbyterian newspaper and to sell some books. It 
was in consequence the beginning of March, before he 
was ready to leave St. Louis. He then proceeded up 
the river Missouri to the destined scene of his labours, 
resolving, according to the advice he had received, to 
make Leavenworth city the starting point of his opera- 
tions. 

On his passage up the river, he witnessed some of 
those scenes which have given Kansas so prominent a 
position in the " irrepressible conflict " noAV going on 
between slavery and freedom. But we must give his 
own account of them. 

"An incident occurred this morning, (date not given, but 
about the 8th of March), which occasioned much excitenjent. It 
was ascertained that a number of ' Sharp's Rifles' were on 
board the Arabia. The passengers immediately organized them- 
selves into a legislative body, and appointed a committee of five 
to search the boat. This they did, and discovered one hundred 



MISSION TO KANSAS. 99 

rifles and three cannons, Tliey tlien proceeded to make laws 
suited to the emergency, and appointed officers to carry them 
into execution. The property was to be destroyed or deposited 
at a military fort, and the man who had the rifles in charge, to 
be disembarked at ^rs^an ding. The captain refuses. They re- 
vise their laws so as to meet this new emergency, and so the man 
(Hoyt) is allowed to remain on board, but subjected to continu- 
ous threats of tar and feathers — the rope — a bath in the river, 
&c. What will be the result of this I do not now know. I com- 
menced to remonstrate a little, very moderately and kindly, 
against such unlawful proceedings*, but one t3f the leaders very 
soon ordered me to stop, or I would get a plunge in the river. I 
say little more, but my blood boils with indignation at such pro- 
ceedings. 

"Reflections. — Did my friends know where Fulton is, how 
uneasy they would be respecting my safety. How kind the 
Providence, that we do not know what is not present with us. 
2dly. Here I observed the richness of the blessings' of those who 
live amidst a people cherishing a hea^'tfelt respect for the laws. 3dly. 
The fearfully evil consequences of violating the laws of a country in 
any case, no matter how much there may appear to be to justify 
it. 4thly. That man should never act under excitement. Sthly. 
The man who is governed by religious influences is the only man 
who can be trusted under aU circumstances. 6thly. The great 
Western country is to a fearful extent under the control of mere 
excitement and mob law, the ruling sentiment being self, and 
whatever opposes this they repel with most bitter and malignant 
violence. In order to thwart what they dislike and accomplish 
what they wish, they do not hesitate to resort to most unlawful 
means, whenever lawful means will not suit as well. Tthly. 
They will not listen to reason — cannot brook opposition. It is 
we who say it ; hence it must be so, and no person should or 
will be allowed to dispute it. Such is the condition of the slave 
States and the Far West. This condition of the country arises 
from the manner in which the west has been settled^ and the 
prerogative which the institution of slavery gives over a certain 
portion of its population." 

" 10, Sabbath. This morning arrived at Lexington. Here the 

, LofC. 



100 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHJSTSTOISr. 

mob seized tlie rifles and took them on shore. When the 
steamer arrived, there was a crowd of desperadoes on shore 
ready to do any acts of personal violence to the owner, as well 
as his property, which their wicked hearts might suggest, and 
they should be permitted to do. But through the influence of 
some of the more respectable of the party they were prevented 
from injuring him.* 

"The whole scene was one of cursing, swearing, and awful 
threats of vengeance on their supposed foes. The Arabia was 
so full of these characters, that I could scarcely crowd my way 
through them. When they got the rifles on shore, there was as 
great rejoicing as when the ark arrived in the camp of the He- 
brews. Their shouts of joy were fuU of oaths and profanity. No 
Nova Scotian could ever suppose that it was the Sabbath. On 
board the Arabia all day, the only evidence of its existence or 
respect shown to it, was a cessation of card playing, to which 
they had faithfully devoted themselves previously. 

"At 10 o'clock, A. M., the pro-slavery party had a most 
fiendish row among themselves. A prominent individual, on 
account of his moderation and want of wild fanaticism, was by 
them suspected of insincerity in their cause. The great congress 
of Legislators organized, and proceeded to take his conduct into 
consideration. The result was a real hellish fight between him 
and another prominent legislator, which nearly ended fatally. 
The next act of congress was a vote of want of confidence in 
Mr. B. and exclusion from their party. The next act was to 
put him off the boat, but the captain interfered, and congress 
adjourned, 

"At 12 o'clock, congress was again called to order by the 
venerable president. It appeared .that in the meantime a recon- 
ciliation had been effected between the enemies. Act first was 
repealed, and a vote of confidence passed, and B. restored to 
his former position. Congress adjourned again. 

" Then came drinking, &c. Grreat joy was excited by the re- 
conciliation of such prominent men, which also appeared to 

* He learned afterward that this man was killed by the pro-slavery party. 
He had approached unarmed a body of them with which he wished to hold 
communication, when he was shot by them. 



MISSION TO KANSAS. 101 

cause a cloud of oblivion to pass over all their pro-slavery feel- 
ings, and the rifle man was called to drink with the head man 
of congress, and those of his party who were known were also 
treated. Monstrous pledges of friendship and fair dealing were 
made by pro-slavery men to Free State men. Thus ended this 
horrible scene, 

"As to the character of the pro-slavery men, they are gene- 
rally almost without exception, so far as I saw, drinkers, swear- 
ers, governed by the impulse of the moment, have little deep- 
felt regard for the law, go for mob law, and have little real in- 
telligence. Farther, I have almost invariably noticed that all 
rash mob acts were committed under the influence of liquor. 
2dly. That when men are not under its influence, in the proper 
exercise of prudence, they can be reasoned with. Get dear of 
liquor^ and you get clear of a world of sin. 

"Wickedness abounds and the earth is full of it, and what 
can be done ? are thoughts that now fill my mind. When min- 
gling with such scenes what reason to feel our need of Divine 
teaching, to constantly pray, ' Set .a watch, Lord, before my 
mouth; keep the door of my lips,' to remember Joseph, to 
think upon the Saviour's salvation, the worth of the soul, to 
reflect much, for I find that the want of this is one great source 
of error. 

' ' I have taken more lengthy notes on this rifle mob, because 
it is just a sample of what is constantly to be met with in this 
West. It will give a good idea of the manner in which this 
country is governed, and also of its inhabitants, 

"11. Arrived early in the morning at Kansas city, a new but 
rapidly progressive town. Here I received letters from dear 
little Nova Scotia. The pleasure of receiving news from home 
in a far distant land amidst strangers I will not attempt to de- 
scribe. At 5 o'clock, P. M. , reached Leavenworth city, a town 
growing as it were by magic. At 6 o'clock arrived at Fort Lea- 
venworth, and at 7 o'clock reached Weston. We land. Long 
have I looked for this desired haven. Cabs, omnibusses, &c. , 
are at hand, and their drivers come bustling around anxiously 
soliciting employment. The little Nova Scotian is unnoticed 
among the crowd. I scramble into an omnibus, and am driven 
9* 



102 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

to a hotel in the town. It is full of travellers and loafers, plenty 
of whom we always find in a slave town. The news of the cap- 
ture of the rifles has produced quite a sensation. All seem en- 
gaged in cursing Free State men, and speak of shooting them 
just as they would partridges. I pass up and down among 
them, listening to what is said, but say nothing. Prospects look 
dark and gloomy. Still I can say that I do not fear them. I 
feel that there is a power above which can control all their acts, 
and on that power I rely for protection. ' ' 

To his parents he thus writes the same evening : 

"I arrived here this evening after a prosperous voyage of seven 
days from St. Louis. As to the scenes on the passage, and the 
political agitation here, I dare not write anything, as this letter 
may be opened ere it gets many miles from this. But farther, 
I did not come here to take part in these matters. I came for a 
far nobler purpose, and one which demands all my time and ta- 
lents. It was said that it was not safe to come out here, but I 
have never felt and do not now feel any fear. I can cheerfully 
and smilingly extend the hand of friendship to every individual 
I meet. I feel just as safe here as I did under your roof. 
When I came here a feeling of friendship, which as I never be- 
fore had toward strangers, unconsciously came over me. When 
I landed at Leavenworth, there were great numbers around, and 
many came on board, as it was the first steamer that came up 
the river this spring. I just went up to them and accosted 
them, as if they had been old friends.- Almost the first man to 
whom I extended my hand, received it as if I had been an old 
acquaintance, saying, ' This is a gentleman who always carries 
his certificate with him. ' All appeared to receive me as if I had 
been an old acquaintance. In this place though I have been in 
but a few hours, I have found friends, and I am now in a room, 
with a single companion. I expect to go to work to-morrow.- I 
write to you this evening in haste, as I do not expect to have 
much time hereafter. 

' ' We called at Leavenworth as we came along to-day, and I 
recived a letter from you containing one from Maiy. I think I 



MISSION *T0 KANSAS. 103 

never received a letter from you which afforded me so much 
pleasure as this one. That which more particularly pleased me 
was your remarks respecting missionary matters. I hope and 
trust this whole matter is of the Lord, and that he is preparing 
the way. I trust that this is no mere delusion. It is a subject 
which has long had my prayers, and when I learn anything 
which seems to be preparing the way or indicating that Grod is 
calling me to the work, it affords me a heartfelt delight which I 
cannot express. 

' ' I feel that I am becoming more and more prepared for ifc 
also. All who know me know that my heart is bound up in my 
home and country. But I feel now as if I could cheerfully leave 
all. Though I am now far from home and friends, yet I have 
not nearly the impatient anxiety to hear from them that I had 
when near by them. I feel quite at home here, and feel a pe- 
culiar love and friendship for those who are the subjects of my 
work. And I now believe that if I were in the islands of the 
South Seas I should feel at home, and the heathen would be to 
me as my dearest friends. ' ' 

To his sister Mary he writes under the same date. 

" I formerly used to look forward to the time when I should 
visit home and mingle with you all, with delightful anticipations 
respecting the pleasure we should all enjoy. But such pleasures 
have now nearly vanished from my mind. I do not reflect much 
on the hours which we shall spend in time. But I do look al 
most exclusively to the meeting where separation shall be no 
more. Let us now be all prepared for eternity, for at such an 
hour as we think not the Son of m^n cometh. What one of us 
could bear the thought of eternal separation from the family 
circle, or that the circle should be eternally broken?" 

On the following day he makes the following entry. 

"12. I to-day engage in my work. My time is now so much 
occupied with my business that I shall have to leave off my notes 
of my travels." 



104 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

We regret that he has left no record of his labours in 
this interesting field. But we know that as long as he 
was able he laboured hard in his work — and that he was 
the means of scattering the seeds of Divine truth ex- 
tensively over that country. We know also that he en- 
dured privations, such as are rarely endured in civilized 
countries. 

The time of his . labours there was the time of actual 
civil war between the pro-slavery and Free State parties 
in the Territory. Considerable bodies of armed men 
had entered it from the Southern States, with the deter- 
mination of establishing slavery there, while the set- 
tlers, who had arrived from the Free States,' were sup- 
plied with money and arms by their friends in the North. 
Not only were both parties armed, but several collisions 
took place, in which several lives were lost. The town 
of Lawrence, a stronghold of the Free State party, was 
twice besieged, and on the last occasion, the inhabitants 
having given up their arms, under a promise of safety 
to persons and protection to property, the invaders im- 
mediately entered the town, blew up and burned the ho- 
tel, burned the house of the leader of the Free State 
party, destroyed two printing presses and plundered sev- 
eral stores and houses. It was amid such scenes as 
these that Mr. Johnston carried on his work. We may 
suppose that this state of the country was not favoura- 
ble to the circulation of religious literature. Writing 
to the Board, he says, 

" There is a great want in this place of such books as are 
published by the Board. Almost the whole reading demand is 
for novels^ often of the vilest description, and other kinds of 
light literature. When I enter the house, frequently the first 



MISSION TO KANSAS. 105 

inquiry is, ' Have 3'Oli anj^ novels ?' Though such is their taste 
yet I have generally prevailed upon them to purchase a book or 
two, and make trial of a different sort of reading. I have also 
generally succeeded in obtaining a promise from all such that 
they would read the books, which I left in their possession. 
May the Lord grant a rich blessing upon the seed then sown." 

He was also exposed to dangers of no ordinary kind. 
Often, as he afterwards declared, he was in situations 
where the utterance of a single anti-slavery sentiment, 
would have been sufficient to ensure his being" tarred and 
feathered if not killed. As a memorial of the scenes 
of which Kansas was then the theatre, he brought home 
with him some of the bullets prepared by the women for 
the celebrated Sharp's Rifles to be used by the men in 
their contests with the pro- slavery party. The follow- 
ing entry in his journal, on his return to Kansas City, 
will give some idea of the scenes through which he 
passed. 

"May 21. Arrived at Kansas City again. Many are the 
miles which I have travelled over this country, many the strange 
faces I have seen, the conversations held, admonitions given — 
numerous the dangers through which I have been preserved. 
The toils, trials, difficulties endured have been innumerable. 
Were it now said to me. You shall go through these again, I 
would sink before the task. No, I could not undertake them. 
My friends at home shall never, no never, know the one half of 
these dangers, trials, &c., sleeping in the open air at night, 
among Indians, plunging through rivers, &c. , sleeping in miser- 
able cabins, in dampness, and women and men all together, 
among the pro-slavery rabble armed, as the saying is, to the 
teeth, destroying, plundering, &c. But I shall not attempt to 
give details of them. ' ' 

In this work he was probably not as careful of his 



106 MEMOIR or S. F. JOHNSTON. 

health as he should have been. A great part of his 
travelling was on foot, and settlers being in some places 
widely scattered he was frequently out all night. The 
weather being warm he thought nothing of lying down 
to sleep in the open air. But this was by no means 
prudent, and with his other exposures, such as to wet in 
crossing streams, we need not wonder that he was 
soon laid down by a severe attack of fever and ague, so 
that he was under the necessity of abandoning the work. 
He afterwards described himself as so entirely prostra- 
ted that he was only able to retain hold of the one idea, 
that it was his duty to go North ; and accordingly hav- 
ing while able, according to the Board's directions,, ta- 
ken measures to secure the continuance of the work by 
others, he bade farewell to Kansas. His departure he 
notices in the following terms. 

''May 23. At 2 P. M. embarked on board the 'Star of the 
West' from Kansas City for St. Louis. Kansas is now fading 
from my view for ever,' a land peculiarly interesting to me, on 
account of the time I have spent in it and the work in which I 
was engaged wfiile in it. But I cannot describe my feelings on 
account of my mental and physical debility. Having for several 
days been somewhat excited — exposed to intense heat, unable to 
obtain my accustomed sleep — and in a word exposed night and 
day, I became subject to severe headache, and a complete pros- 
tration of both mental and physical system, i. e. , an attack of 
fever and ague, 

"I will only add, many are the pages of Divine instruction 
which I have scattered over this new country. May Grod grant 
his blessing to accompany them. May they bear fruit when I 
am far distant Such has been and will be my prayer. ' ' 

From his official reports it appears that he was em- 
ployed 116 days, that he visited 348 families, with 75 



MISSION TO KANSAS. 107 

of whom he prayed, that he sold 491 volumes, gave 
away 66, and 16,500 pages of tracts. 

The following from the few notes that he was able to 
record during his sickness, will show the miserable con- 
dition to which he was reduced. 

" May 24. Weather intensely hot and myself equally unwell. 
Though my thoughts are most active, still it is too much labour 
for me to write them down. It appears as if it would kill me 
to do so. Formerly it was a pleasure to me to do so. Such is 
the condition of my health now. 

"My situation is truly miserable, in continual excitement on 
account of the character of the passengers, and the subjects of 
conversation — ^which are the burning of Lawrence, the intention 
of the south to defend the institution of slavery, and to sup- 
press all opposition to it, &c. My head almost bursting with 
the fever, these exciting controversies were like hot irons piercing 
my head. 

"25. The Holy Sabbath. But there is no appearance of the 
observance of the day here. I am acquiring a deeper and deeper 
hatred to the institution of slavery. I believe that there is lit- 
tle true piety to be found where it exists. Slavery is evil in its 
principle, its practice, and all its influences. 

"26. I feel some improvement in health. The day is quite 
mild. We are making good progress. At 10 o'clock passing 
St. Charles. At 12 we arrived at St. Louis. Seems like 
getting home. During my stay here I could do but little, and it 
is a pain to me to write. 

"28. Rose at half-past five A. M. So weak that I fainted 
once while dressing myself. • There is no one to administer to 
my wants. I sometimes feel that if I had a friend to sympa- 
thize with me, it would be a comfort — even if it were but to lay 
the affectionate hand of sympathy on my burning brow. But 
such friends are far off. But God sees and compassionates me, 
and why should I complain. At 7 o'clock, A. M., left St. Louis 
for home. Whether I reach home or not is little concern to me 
now. Farewell to this city in which I have spent so many weari- 



108 MEMOIR OP S. F. JOHNSTON. 

some hours. May God keep me under tlie .shade of his wings, 
and from all harm, and bring me safely to my father's house. 

"June 14. In Cobequid Bay, on board the Schooner Fowler. 
I have been very unwell ever since I left St. Louis. Mental 
effort has been a severe pain to me. Four o'clock., P. M. Noel 
in sight. Its appearance causes strange emotions to pass through 
my bosom. Ah, how many hours have I wasted there. May it 
not be so again. At sundown met smiling countenances familiar 
to me It feels like old times. But they scarcely recognize me, 
and all look strangely at me and say, " Oh, how black you are," 
" How miserable you look." So I conclude, hoping my heart i- 
the same as when I left, only some better. ' ' 

He reached his father's house a few days after, and 
though by this time his health was somewhat recruited, 
yet he was so much altered in appearance, that when he 
presented himself at the door, his mother did not re- 
cognize him. 

The following is his entry in his private journal on the 
occasion. 

"20. After wandering through distant lands amidst innume- 
rable dangers of various kinds, in the kind providence of my all 
merciful Father, I am once more permitted to visit my home 
and the scenes of my childhood. Oh enable my soul to render 
heartfelt thanks, and to feel deep and sincere gratitude for all 
the protection and goodness I have experienced during my tra- 
vels ! And now would I again consecrate myself to the service 
of my Grod and benefactor. 

"I now expect to remain at home for some time. Oh may it 
be a season of edification to my soul ! Enable me O Lord to 
make a wise improvement of these last few hours, which I shall 
probably ever spend at my home." 

For a few months the heats and chills of the fever 
lingered about him, but by rest among friends, and the 



MISSION TO KANSAS. 109 

invigorating air of Nova Scotia, he entirely recovered 
his health, so that in the following summer, he was in as 
good health as he had ever been. 

In the autumn he attended the third session of his 
Theological course at West River. 

In the month of September, the Board of Foreign 
Missions took him under their charge as a student pre- 
paring for the Foreign Mission work. He thus records 
the event in his journal. 

"Sept. 23. The Board of Foreign Missions accepted me as a 
probationer for the Foreign Mission field. Lord, enable me to 
consecrate all my powers to thy service with faith, humility, 
prudence and firm reliance on thee. May my soul be wholly ab- 
sorbed in thy cause. Such is my cry to thee, Lord !" 

On the same occasion he writes to a cousin. 

" The Board of Foreign Missions met on the 23d ult. J. W. 
Matheson was accepted, and is to be sent out as soon as due pre- 
paration can be made. James Murray and myself were also ac- 
cepted, and taken under the supervision of the Board until our 
curriculum of study is completed. I can truly say that it is a 
pleasure to me that the way for my going to the South Seas ap- 
pears so open and certain. I suppose that you will scarcely 
believe me when I tell you that I long to be on my way to that 
distant land — that I long to bid adieu to all my youthful asso- 
ciations and to welcome the Southern shores. Many are the 
reasons which tend to occasion these feelings. But I have not 
time to mention them now. I can only add at present that my 
position is a most responsible one- Oh how much heartfelt hu- 
mility, love, strong faith and wisdom, do I require for such a 
work ! It is a trying position, and you little know the struggles 
and conflicts of various kinds which are going on in my bosom. 

"Since my position is such, oh may I not confidently ex- 
pect the sympathies and prayers of all my friends, and particu- 
larly of my near relatives ! What do you suppose I should be for 
10 



110 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

such a work, pray that Grod will make me, or pray that God 
will in every way qualify me for it. ' ' 

Writing to another friend about the same time he 
thus refers to the event. 

"Do not suppose that I do not consider this step which I 
have taken to be all important, serious and most solemn. I have 
not done so hastily without long prior consideration. I have 
long contemplated this. I do not ask a life of ease ; I care not 
for this. I only ask that I may bring no disgrace on Grod's 
cause, and that my whole life may tend to the advancement of 
his glory. I feel my position to be most responsible. I there- 
fore solicit an interest in the sympathies and prayers of all my 
true and dear friends. ' ' 



PREPARING FOR MISSIONARY WORK. Ill 



CHAPTER VI. 

JPREPAMING FOR MISSIONAJtY WOJRK. 

He was now acknowledged and approved by the 
Church as a candidate for the Foreign Mission, and all 
his energies were directed to preparing himself for that 
work. He accordingly attended the Free Church col- 
lege in Halifax during the succeeding winter, under the 
tuition of Professors King and McKnight, who, he says, 
" were very attentive to him and showed him all the re- 
spect and kindness he could wish." While in Halifax 
he also employed his time in attending to such me- 
chanical acts as were likely to prove useful to him in the 
mission field. In particular he acquired the art of 
printing in the o£&ce of the Preshyterian Witness^ and 
printed a small pamphlet on Missions as a specimen of 
his skill. He also availed himself of such opportuni- 
ties as were within his reach of acquiring medical know- 
ledge. 

His diary, which at this time is voluminous, indicates 
his mental progress by the increased vigour and clear- 
ness of his conceptions, but also marks his growing piety 
and deeper devotedness to his work. 

"Nov. 10. To-day commenced studies in the Free Church 
College. In a special manner would I supplicate thy presence 



112 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

G-oc],witli me here to assist, guide and counsel me in all my 
wri.ys, and to enable nie to make a most faithful improvement 
of all my opportunities. 

"17. I am now in part supported by the contributions of thy 
people. (The Board of jMissions allowed me $120 for this year. ) 
May I justly feel my new obligation to devote myself wholly, 
earnestly and incessantly to the work of preparation to which I 
have devoted myself. Glrant, Lord ! that I may feel deeply, 
fully the responsibilities of my present situation. Preserve me 
from all procrastination and slothfulness. " 

"23. Sabbath. Had more than usual delight in the ordinances 
of religion. Experienced that the tabernacle of the Lord of 
Hosts is amiable. Had earnest desires to make known the bless- 
ings of the gospel to the perishing heathen. Long to be on my 
way to them. Lord, give me the qualifications requisite for 
this work ! May my soul be borne down with a sense of the aw- 
ful condition of heathendom. May all my motives for engaging 
in this work be purified by the influences of the Holy Spirit. 

' ' 30. Oh, how the neglect of duty and irregularity in devo- 
tional exercises tend to retard my spiritual growth — ^to lead my 
soul's motions and aspirations away from thee — to render me 
miserable — to disqualify me for every duty — to fill my heart with 
levity — to render it callous, and to interrupt communion with 
thee ! Lord, qualify me for the great work to which I am 
looking forward ! What am I that I should engage in such a 
work? Oh! have mercy upon me according to my weakness. 

' ' Dec. 7. This day commemorated the death of my Saviour. 
Much in prayer and meditation. Longed for purity in motives 
— to be freed from base selfishness, and to have a single view to 
the glory of Grod. Oh ! free me from sin and self. 

"12. Oh, how deceitful is the human heart! How it suc- 
ceeds in leading me into error quite unknowingly — makes pre- 
texts and blinds the mind. Thus how my motives are directly 
opposite to what they ought to be, and what I designed them 
to be, and what I supposed they were. Lord, enable me to 
look into the soul with earnestness and painful anxiousness to 
know all that, exists there! May this anxiousness be constant, 
sincere, pure, holy. Oh, my dear Saviour, how often and con- 



PREPARINa FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 113 

stantly have I grieved and pained thee by withholding from thee 
mine afifections — delight in thee and communion with thee. 
This thou desirest and longest after. Oh, ungrateful wretch, 
to withhold ! Oh, compassionate Saviour, pardon my sin in 
this respect, for it is very great ! Help me to live near to thee. 
Help me to cast away every idol — yea, though it be a right 
eye or hand. Oh, do these things for me, and not forsake 
me! 

"13. In agony of spirit — cannot come near to the Saviour. 
His face is concealed. I feel a want of love to Grod — to his cause 
and to souls. I feel that the love I have is full of self, or min- 
gled with various ingredients, which, when weighed in the bal- 
ance, will be found wanting. I feel as if I could not go forward 
to the work to which I am looking forward. I feel unfit, un- 
worthy, and miserable. Labouring to come to the Saviour — to 
reflect on his love, on his suiFerings — to know myself, my deceit- 
ful heart. Oh, how difficult the exercise — how my thoughts 
wander! Lord, though I have not yet found relief, yet I 
thank thee that thou hast sorely smitten nie, and made me to 
feel this my grievous error I I have been much in prayer to-day, 
and at times in it had comfort ; but oh ! how soon it passes 
away, and by the stroke of thy hand I do pine. 

"15. Much sadness of soul — cannot love or come near to the 
Saviour as I could wish. Oh for the time when I shall love him 
as he has loved me ! I am weary of this life, and I think that 
my sincere desire is, that if Grod has no work for me — that if T 
shall not be instrumental in the conversion of souls, or a soul, 
he would take me to himself. Such is my prayer. If it is thy 
will that I labour in thy vineyard, oh prepare me for the work. 

"20. Obtaining more peace in my mind. But I sometimes 
fear it may be merely insensibility to my many errors. Lord, 
I beseech thee that thou would' st not permit me to fall into such 
a peace ! Grive me no peace but that which results from being 
reconciled to thee — from thy smiles, for rather would I writhe 
under thy chastening rod than enjoy a false peace. 

"23. Learning to print — much engaged in it. Long have I 
desired to become acquainted with this mechanical art. All the 
anticipated pleasure I have more than realized. This acquisi- 
10* 



114 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

tion I consecrate to tlie service of God, and may it hereafter 
enable me to advance thy cause. 

' ' Taking more and more delight in prayer. Oh how much 
need I have of thy strength and guidance at all times ! 

"27. The last Sabbath in the year. There is much that is 
solemn suggested by these words. I have this evening been en- 
deavouring to look back on the past year for the purpose of de- 
tecting its errors. I have this day anew consecrated myself to 
thy service — to be more devoted, self-denying and earnest in pre- 
paration for the great work to which I am looking forward. Oh 
assist me to carry out this resolution, for without thy assistance 
I must utterly fail to do so ! This day I have been still more 
deeply impressed with the necessity of close and constant reliance 
on the Saviour. 

" Jan. 1, 1857. Another year is added to my life — is gone for 
ever. The past is unalterably fixed. Over its many ruins we 
cannot pass in order to repair the waste places. Sad and mourn- 
ful thought ! May this fact be constantly and deeply impressed 
on my mind. And*now, Lord, enable me to consecrate my 
all to thy service, to be earnest, diligent, faithful, self-denying, 
watchful, more given to prayer and self-examination. I live in 
a world of sin, temptations, and evil. It is full of wickedness. 
I am weary of it. Ye wheels of time, roll on in haste. All I 
desire is that thou, Time, wilt hasten on, and that I may be 
enabled to faithfully improve eoery moment as it passes ! 

" 19. Oh, how can the Spirit of Grod dwell in the vile, corrupt 
human heart ! What unspeakable necessity have I to adopt 
the prayer of the Psalmist, ' Oh cleanse thou me from secret 
faults ! " Lord, I am vile — have mercy upon me ! Lord, 
renew me, make me thine, make me pure, holy, to love holi- 
ness. Oh, forsake me not ! Leave me and I perish ! Enable 
me henceforth to live nearer to thee, my Grod ! 

"23, How prone am I to forget the hand that sustains, feeds, 
and leads me ! How prone to live as though I were independent 
of all other power but self ! Lord, I beseech thee, make me 
at all times to feel my dependence upon thee for all I have and 
am, and that all ability for the faithful discharge of duty comes 
from thee ! 



PREPARING FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 115 

"25. I thank thee, Lord, that through the preaching of the 
word by Rev. P. Gr. M'Gregor, I was thus led to reflect and ex- 
amine myself! The text was Psalm Ixii. 7. ' In God is my sal- 
vation and my glory, the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is 
in God. ' I adopt this as my motto hereafter. Lord, enable 
me to be diligent and faithful in endeavouring to discover all the 
various influences, which tend to mar the welfare of my soul, 
and to remove these, also to be faithful in the use of means to 
promote my soul's prosperity! 

" 28. Read certain portions of Scripture with more than usual 
comfort and profit. My soul was softened, warmed with love to 
God and souls, longing to be engaged in his service — a more than 
usual freedom from self. I feel that my prayers have been, an- 
swered, and feel my faith strengthened, and much encouraged 
to pray. 

" 30. Have been for some time much occupied in reading ac- 
counts of the civil, social, mental and moral condition of the 
heathen. Oh, how vile, how miserable they are ! As I read 
respecting their character and condition, my heart sickens and 
yearns with sympathy for them. How humble should man be, 
as he thus beholds the development of his true nature. Let 
moralists and. progressionists assert what they may. I regard 
them not. Here are indisputable facts proving man's depravity. 
Here, too, we have our views extended of the need of salvation, 
the goodness, mercy, and love of God in procuring it, and our 
grounds for love and gratitude to the Author of it. 

"Feb. 13. My mind has been long deeply impressed with a 
variety of thoughts and views respecting the present condition 
of the church. She does appear to me to have conformed to the 
world to a lamentable extent. As to her Presbyters, are they 
not over-anxious to live up to the customs and fashions of the 
society in which they are placed ? Do they not spend entirely 
too large an amount of time, thoughts, conversation, and pro- 
perty to this end ? Do they not by their example lull their peo- 
ple to sleep in the practice of their errors ? Do they not en- 
courage worldimess, and an undue concern about the things 
which perish with the using ? Are they not too much given to 
light trijiuig conversation? Ai'e they not too much given to 



116 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

levity in their meetings for consulting about the interests of 
Zion ? Do they go into the lanes and highways searching out 
the poor, the lame, and the halt, and compelling them to come 
in ? Is there at the present day Paul-like zeal, earnestness and 
self sacrifice for the saving of souls ? Do they labour night and 
day with tears ? Are they instant in season and out of season, 
in order that souls may be saved ? Where do we find that zeal, 
earnestness, humilitj'-, self-denial, unwearied perseverance and 
toil, fervent prayer, constant watching for souls of apostolic 
primitive times? Is there not as much need for these things 
now as then ? Is not he whom we serve the same now that he 
was then, and also his cause the same ? 

"'Let these considerations sink deep into my mind — have 
their just influence there. May I be enabled to meditate on 
them in a proper spirit, in humility, in prayerfulness, and with 
the Spirit assisting. Oh, my heart is sad ! Lord, save me from 
all appearance of evil. 

"20. How little spirituality, heavenly-mindedness and holi- 
ness do we find in the church at the present day. How seldom 
do Christians speak to each other of the preciousness of the Sa- 
viour. How little delight do they take in religious meetings. 
This tends most powerfully to make Christians teorldly. Oh, 
how my soul is ruined in this way, through this overwhelm- 
ing influence ! When I should be speaking of Jesus and his 
love, I am absorbed in trifling conversation. I am led thus 
almost to loathe society' and desire to retire far into solitude, 
where I might enjoy uninterrupted communion with Grod. 

" March 1. Communion Sabbath, A solemn day — the last 
Sabbath I expect to be here — hence its peculiar interest. It 
was a great pleasure that it was a communion season. As I go 
out into this cruel world, may my Saviour go with me from his 
table. I may mention the state of my mind in this exercise. I 
have to lament a want of that nearness to the Saviour — a want 
of large disclosures of his glory — a want of deep spirituality of 
mind. But I would also record the good things he has done for 
me this day in granting me more enlarged views of my'true 
character and the corruptions of the soul, its pride, its selfish- 
ness, its indifierence to things eternal. I was enabled to see 



PREPARING FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 117 

more and more a hateful lurking disposition within, to have self 
made prominent in all I do, that is, that I do not labour wholly 
for the glory of God, but have a desire to have self honoured, 
distinguished, noticed, admired, gratified. But, oh, especially, 
the unbelief of my heart was set before my mind. I would 
thank thee, Lord, for this, and beseech thee to reveal to me 
my whole character. Oh, keep me from living in the practice 
of a lie — under unknown motives ! 

' ' This day I was enabled again to solemnly consecrate myself 
to Grod's service — that T should live nearer to thee, farther from 
the world, its maxims, fashions, customs — that with deep hu- 
mility I would be more devoted to thy service. Lord ! enable 
me to carry into effect this consecration. I have no power ' of 
myself May I go out into the world, with a soul yearning for 
•the salvation of souls. Oh may I ever love to commune with 
thee and go up through the wilderness of this world leaning 
upon Jesus as the Beloved of my soul — one hand resting upon 
him, and the other actively employed in his service ! Lord ! 
have mercy upon me. 

' ' I have to record thanks for what of thy presence I did en- 
joy at thy table — that I was enabled to feel the Saviour more 
precious and lovely than heretofore. Thy word was delightful 
to my soul, and I would say with the Psalmist, ' It is more to 
be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold ; sweeter also 
than honey and the honey comb. ' That thy ordinances were 
lovely to my soul — that I experienced feelings of gratitude for 
my many privileges — that the Saviour stands in the room of 
sinners. May this refreshing season tend to strengthen me for 
the trials and duties of life. Lord! save me from spiritual 
pride." 

We shall here insert portions of a letter written to 
his parents while attending the classes in Halifax. The 
first part of it refers to a very painful event — the 
death of two near relatives in one day. The latter 
part of it however is chiefly interesting from the man- 
ner in which he reveals his inmost feelings. In com- 



118 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

pany, Mr. Johnston was one of the most lively and 
frank of young men, and few seeing him merely in such 
circumstances would have supposed that he had such 
deep and solemn views of life and its duties. 

" I received yours of the 10th instant to-day. Truly it con- 
veys sad, melancholy intelligence. This makes a wide breach in 
the family, and is surely a loud call to those who are left to pre- 
pare to meet their Grod. May this dispensation of Grod's provi- 
dence be sanctified to all who remain. This stroke, so heavy, 
severe and mysterious is not without a design. Let us endeavour 
to learn this design, and thus to derive that lesson from this af- 
fliction which Grod is, in infinite kindness and goodness, design- 
ing to teach those who are left. Think not that because I am 
absent from the scene of affliction I will not feel the stroke or be 
interested in it. True I am absent — as it is probable I shall be 
on all such occasions in future — but my thoughts are not absent, 
and my sympathies are with you. Your sorrows are my sor- 
rows, 

" Truly it must be trying to you to part with those who have 
been with you in all your innocent childish sports, and with 
whom since the days of childhood you have lived in the bonds 
of perfect unity and tenderest affection. But as you beheld the 
cold earth covering them from your view, did you not turn your 
thoughts to the mansions of glory to which they had gone, and 
where you in a short time at most will meet them with songs 
and everlasting joy ? With such thoughts, and such a glorious 
prospect before you, were you not comforted and enabled to re- 
joice in the spoiling of your goods ? But farther, when you 
were thus comforted with these delightful anticipations, did you 
not think of those who have no such consolation — ^no such hope 
— ^no such prospects in the future — ^where friends separate to 
meet in everlasting burning ? Should not our hearts, on such 
occasions particularly, yearn with compassion for those who are 
in such a condition, should not such thoughts move us to earn- 
estness in our endeavours to extend to them the blessings which 
we enjoy? Oh! what base selfishness to enjoy these unspeak- 



PREPARING FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 119 

able blessings and not labour earnestly to extend them to those 
who have them not ! 

"In the death of every friend I hear a voice, stiU^ silent, 
earnest, appalling, crying, ' Gro preach the gospel to every 
creature.' Let us attend to it as it now comes with unusual 
earnestness — let us beware that we do not mistake its im- 
port. 

"I feel that the time is fast approaching when I must either 
shrink back or assume responsibilities, great, numerous and try- 
ing. The nearer they approach the more weighty do they ap- 
pear. Yet, at times I could, were it not that such work is 
enjoined on human instrumentality, willingly lay myself in the 
silent tomb. For who is sufficient for these things ? I some- 
times fear that you will not give credit to such strong expressions 
of a sense of responsibilities because you may hear no such ex- 
pressions from my lips. This is my nature, and I cannot help 
it. I love to keep my thoughts, troubles, &c., to myself, hidden 
within my own bosom, and only to pour them out in retirement 
to one wh() knows how to sympathize. 

'' Thus it is that I am reserved. I feel that in appearance I 
am cold, unsocial and unsympathizing. But it is not so. My 
feelings and thoughts are concealed in my breast, and I cannot 
make them known. They always feel to me too strong — too sa- 
cred to come to view. Hence it is that I take sweet delight in a 
lonely retired cell apart from every human eye. It is then that 
I can give utterance to my feelings and feel my responsibilities. 
Hence it is that none know the working of my mind. Though 
they may be with me, yet that which is occupying my thoughts 
and lying heaviest on my mind they know not. 

"You may truly say that this does not very well correspond 
with my character, as it often appears. Yes, I know that it has 
always been, that when I am among the merry, I am the mer- 
riest — among the playful the most playful. But it is not in such 
places that I incline to be, and I always retired from them, loath- 
ing them in my verj' soul, and never felt ease till I was again in 
solitude, where I took sweet pleasure in looking back on the 
vanity of all such fleeting pleasures. You may think it strange 
that I have thus at so much length described mv feelings. I 



120 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

feel that it is Tuy duty to do so. To my parents I wish to give 
every satisfaction in my power." 

At the close of the term in the college at Halifax, 
he returned to his father's house, at Middle Stewiacke, 
where he spent most of the time till the opening of the 
Theological Hall at West River, on the 1st September. 
Of these months we have only to give some extracts 
from his diary. 

"Once more at home. How good and merciful has Grod been 
to me, to grant me such a home. But oh, how Httle do 1 think 
of the manifold kindnesses which I am hourly receiving from 
him ! My unmindfulness and want of gratitude for his goodness 
continually manifested towards me are so great, that when I con- 
template them, I am astonished that I do not provoke God to 
withdraw his favours from me. Oh, my Grod, save me from 
this wicked indifference, and awaken me to gratitude to thee for 
favours shown! 

" March 15. Oh, how mysterious and unsearchable are God's 
ways ! Who can understand his decrees ? How it is possible 
that God has foreordained all things that come to pass, and yet man 
is free, responsible. This is a truth far beyond the power of 
human intellect to comprehend. God, grant that it may have 
its proper influence upon my soul ! When I reflect that I was 
chosen from all eternity, not on account of any foreseen good in 
me, not on account of any merit on my part, but of the free and 
sovereign good pleasure and mercy of God, may my soul be 
filled with humility, with love to thee and yearning for the sal- 
vation of souls. To-day, reflecting on Rom. ix. 

" April 11. Oh what joy I shall experience when I shall be 
freed from all the corruptions of the flesh, and without one un- 
holy feeling or emotion, study God's works and commune with 
and rest in him as my soul's only good, enjoying the unclouded 
light of his countenance ! 

' ' IMay 9. Having received a notice from the clerk of Presby- 
tery respecting their intention to prescribe me exercises with a 



PREPARING FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 121 

view to 1113^ lieensuro, I am thus led to reflect upon the nature 
of the work and responsibilities to which I am to be called. How 
much is there in the character of this work which deserves seri- 
ous consideration ! Paul has given a most graphic statement 
of what constitutes a faithful ministry in 2 Cor. , vi. May these 
statements sink deeply into my memory and rest there, bringing 
forth fruit in my life. But who is equal to these things ? 

' ' 10. In prayer and self-examination. He who would approve 
himself as a minister of God must live in the exercise of faith, 
prayer, love, humility, self-denial, and earnestness. These must 
be the elements in which he lives, which envelop him, in which 
he enjoys life, and which he feels to be as necessary to his spirit- 
vial life — to the faithful discharge of duty, as the atmosphere is 
to his natural life. But how much do I come short in these re- 
spects ! How much corruption, vanity, unbelief, coldness, in- 
sensibility to the nature and responsibilities of my position, and 
carelessness and indifference in my prayers ! 

"21. How corrupt is the human heart — how awfully dan- 
gerous for it to trifle with temptations — how important the in- 
junction, ' Abstain from every appearance of evil. ' 

"June 15. This day completes my twenty-seventh year. An- 
other checkered year of my life has rolled into the past — its plea- 
sures, joys, sorrows, temptations, trials, and pains are no more — 
gone for ever. I have reason for thankfulness that Grod has 
spared me through another year — that I have a sensible assur- 
ance that he is weaning my mind more and more from this world 
— that I am more disposed to do his will — more self-denying — 
seeking more earnestly to do his will — feel better prepared for 
missionary labour — a greater willingness to leave all and go — yes 
a longing to go — deeper love to him, and more longing for com- 
munion with him. I would not boast of excellence in these 
respects — nay, I would lament in dust and ashes my deficiencies 
in these things. But still I feel it to be my duty to praise the 
Lord that he has subjected me to such discipline — led me in such 
a way as, by the blessing of his Spirit, to produce these blessed 
results in my soul. Now would I anew cast myself and my all 
upon thy care, and consecrate them to thy service. 

"19. The Synod meets in the coming week. At this meeting 
11 



122 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

there is to be' some decision arrived at in respect to myself. I 
cannot but look forward to tliis witb deep anxiety. My daily 
prayer is offered up respecting this. I pray God to direct them 
to send me immediately on my way to the scene of my future 
labours. But my prayer is that they would come to that deci- 
sion respecting myself, which will tend most largely to advance 
the glory of Grod upon earth, in the salvation of souls, and in 
the growth of grace in my own soul, whatever that decision may 
be, however contrary to my desires and expectations. I now 
long, ardently long, to leave my own land, to get on my way to 
the land of the heathen. O Lord, direct me in all things in 
respect to it! Wield me as an instrument in thy hand of 
advancing thy cause. Enable me to be wholly and earnestlj'' 
devoted to this work in the deepest humility. Oh, save me 
from pride and every improper feeling 1 Be my counsellor and 
strength. 

" ' 29. I have again returned from the meeting of Synod, at which 
it was decided that I should continue the work of preparation a 
year longer, and then proceed to the scenes of my future labours. 
Lord, fit me for this work — give me humility and whole- 
hearted devotion to thy service 1 

"July 2. To-day was engaged in considering the ability of the 
church ' to disciple all nations, ' and the character of the enter- 
prise. Stupendously gi-eat as the work is, yet such is the ability 
of the church, that she cannot excuse herself for the slow pro- 
gress which she is making in obeying her great commission. 
Oh, what is required is a powerful revival, producing an unre- 
served consecration to God, and the earnest devotion of primi- 
tive tinjes I My own soul requires this. Lord, give me the 
Spirit of my Saviour, his j^earning for the glory of my Master, 
and for the salvation of souls ! 

"7. Oh, the deceitfulness of my heart ! I find that in re- 
spects in which I thought! was living for God, such has been 
the deceitfulness of my heart that I now, by certain providential 
dealings, have been made to see that in these very respects I 
have been living for self — to gratify my own feelings. Lord, 
enable me to know niyseif fully I 

"IL How far short professing Christians come of their 



PREPARING FOR MISSIONARY WORK, 12S 

ability in their eiForts for the heathen ! This subject I was con- 
sidering to-day. But how far short I come myself of being 
wholly consecrated to this work — how little impressed with its 
•extent, its character, and the amount of labour and number of 
labourers which it will require ! Oh, that these facts were con- 
stantly before my mind, and that I would act according to 
them ! 

"25. I have for nearly two weeks past been driving about 
amongst friends, relatives, &c. This was contrary to my desire 
and design. I have resolved to spend no more time hereafter 
in mere visitations. Oh, may I meet all my friends and relatives 
in heaven ! With these I can now associate little, or no more 
in time. Duty demands all my time, and I must attend to its 
calls. 

"31. Oh, what a blessed book is the Bible! Never enjoyed 
so much pleasure in studying it before as I have done to-day,^ 
Oh, to have all its truths in my heart I I have resolved to study 
it more diligentl3% to make it my constant companion. 

"Aug. 2. How much hath Christ done iu order to procure 
the blessings of salvation — what self-denial — what labour — what 
suffering — ^how intensely must he have loved the souls of men 1 
Now this salvation which cost him so much, which he so values, 
and in which he so delights, he hath committed to the gospel 
ministry that they may publish it abroad — may induce souls to 
lay hold upon it. Thus the results of Ohrist's great work are 
dependent upon the ministry. Oh, who can express the re- 
sponsibilities connected with the miuisti-y 1 May this view of 
it ever bear more and more heavily upon my mind. 

^' 15. The humbhng which thou hast been giving to my pride, 
and the chastisement to which thou hast subjected me, I take 
as a correction of a kind father, and as evidences that thou art 
fitting me for the work to which I am looking forward, and will 
go with me and be with me in it. May I learn from this cor- 
rection the lessons thou would^st teach me, but may it be my 
constant aim to have a singleness of purpose in all I do. Allow 
me not to seek my own glory or my praise, or to serve in the 
way that will be agreeable to my feelings. But may I, regard- 
less either of the smiles, the frowns of this world, or my own 



124 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

feelings, go forward in the strength of Grod the Lord, my only and 
single object being the promotion of thy glory, in the salvation of 
souls. 

"23. Engaged in reading 'Marshall's Grospel Mystery of 
Sanctification.' This is a treatise deeply imbued with experi- 
mental godliness — giving satisfactory evidence of its having come 
from a mind taught by Grod and disciplined by him. Oh, may 
I profit by its holy teachings ! May I give more and more heed 
to the growth of godliness in my soul. 

"26. I have now been at home for some time, and more than 
probably this will be the last period I shall spend among the scenes 
of my childhood. But I am now about to leave — and now, Lord ! 
as my residence at home is about ended, fire my heart with love 
and gratitude to thee for what thou hast done for me while here 
- — deepen all good impressions made, — fix in my mind all instruc- 
tions received, and may I largely profit by these in all my jour- 
neyings and duties hereafter. Oh, forgive all short-comings and 
errors in Christ ! As I look to the past I am encouraged to go 
on — to believe that thou hast called me to the work to which I 
am looking forward, — that thou hast been preparing me for it, 
and will continue to do so. I would, Lord ! thus leave myself 
and all that relates to this work with thee. Lord ! revive 
thy work. ' ' 

In autumn of that year, (1857), he again attended 
the West River Seminary, expecting to receive license 
immediately after its close. The following entries in 
his journal at this time will show the feelings of deep 
solemnity with which he contemplated his entrance upon 
the work of the ministry. 

"Sept. 4. Attended the opening of the Seminary. This in 
all probability will be my last attendance upon an Institution of 
learning in my native land. May Grod enable me to spend this 
session so that he may consistently add his blessing to my 
studies. Give me earnestness, diligence, self-denial and de- 



PREPARING FOR MISSIONARY WORK, 125 

votedness to thy service and love to thy commands, and to thy 
name shall be all the glory. 

*' 13. Engaged in self-examination — Find in my heart much un- 
faithfulness, dishonesty. I do not feel fully that I am God's — 
bought with a price and required to spend and be spent for God. 
I thus waste thoughtlessly much time. I fail to faithfully 
improve all my opportunities for improvement and usefulness. 
I do not think or feel that I am a steward entrusted with talents 
to occupy for God. Oh, may these facts be impressed more and 
more. deeply upon my mind! 

' ' 20. As the period approaches when I anticipate being com- 
missioned to preach the everlasting gospel, I become more 
deeply impressed with a sense of my unfitness for such a work, 
and its awfully responsible character. When I reflect upon the 
nature of the work — its arduous duties and awful responsibilities, 
and the period through which its results extend, and then look 
into my own bosom — examine the corruption that is found to 
exist there — feel my weakness and innumerable infirmities, I 
feel almost at times, ready to cry put, ' Lord ! send by whom 
thou wilt,' and take thy feeble and unworthy servant to thyself, 
that I, there freed from my many imperfections and corruptions, 
may praise, adore and enjoy thee. But when I reflect that it 
has pleased thee to commit the ministry of the gospel to man, 
and to save souls by the foolisliness of preaching — and that there 
is great want of labourers — souls perishing ; — also when I look 
back upon the way in which I have been led up to the present 
time — I feel constrained to say, ' Here am I, send me, ' and to 
add, Lord ! assign me that work in which thou wouldst have me 
engaged — lead me to it — fit and strengthen me for it. But if 
thou hast no work for me here take me to thyself. 0, Lord ! 
with, my whole soul I cry, do not permit me to engage in any 
work to which thou hast not called me. To-day much engaged 
in prayer and reflection, in respect to these things. 

"23. lam becoming more impressed that my views, and be- 
lief of the truth are too speculative — there seems to be no re- 
ality in them. This fact is becoming more and more palpable 
to my mind. My prayer is, 0, Lord ! give me a conscious belief 
11 * 



126 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

in the truth — to feel it to be truth — then to rest upon it as such 
and to act accordingly. ' ' 

" Oct. 12. This day I completed my Theological studies. This 
then is a season well calculated to awaken many solemn reflec- 
tions — to call to mind the unmerited kindness and mercy which 
I have received at the hand of God during this period — in that 
I have been supported and brought through all the toils and 
trials (some of them severe) inward conflicts and temptations 
connected with this course of study. Oh, how much cause have 
I too to prostrate myself in the dust, on account of my many 
short-comings, errors and sins during this period ! I can only 
cry, God, be merciful to me a sinner, and enable me hereafter to 
live for thee unreservedly." 

Immediately after the close of this session he attended 
a meeting of Presbytery, expecting to receive license 
to preach before proceeding to Philadelphia, where he 
intended to spend the following winter in attending 
medical classes. But circumstances having prevented 
the attendance of members of Presbytery, he was 
obliged to proceed thither, without having what he so 
much desired, regular authority from the Church to 
preach Christ and him crucified. This was a severe 
disappointment, by which however he endeavoured to 
profit as a dispensation of God's providence. 

The following winter was spent in Philadelphia, in 
attendance upon the classes of Pennsylvania Medical 
College. The impression he produced on others while 
there, may be learned from a notice of him, which ap- 
peared in the PMladelphia Christian Instructor ^ in which 
the editor says, " While preparing for his great work 
among the heathen, he spent one winter in this city, at- 
tending a course of medical lectures, and seldom have 
we been permitted to form the acquaintance of a more 



PREPARINa FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 127 

amiable, devoted, and zealous spirit. May his mantle 
fall upon many." 

Of his studies here, he thus writes to his parents. 
" It is now some time since I have written to you, my 
time and attention being so much occupied with my 
various studies. My health is good, and I continue to 
prosecute my studies with much pleasure, and, I trust, 
with not a small degree of success. I consider the op- 
portunities for study and instruction, which I enjoy this 
winter as among the most valuable privileges which I 
have hitherto enjoyed. May I be enabled to improve 
them wisely, and also to exercise due gratitude to the 
giver." 

We may give the remainder of this letter, as it con- 
tains some views similar to what have been expressed 
in his diary, and which afterward engaged particular 
attention. 

" Since I came on here my mind has been little occupied with 
thoughts relating to my country and its dear and tender associa- 
tions. These are gliding from my mind. The withering hand 
of time and the stern calls of duty are rapidly sinking them in 
the deep shades of eternal oblivion. Do not suppose that I am 
becoming morose and losing my natural affections. No, my af- 
fections and sj^mpathies are unchanged ; but they lie concealed 
in the depths of my bosom. This life is not the place to deve- 
lope and enjoy these emotions and feelings of our natural consti- 
tution. There is not time. Their indulgence is not compatible 
with the calls of duty, and every thing around us seems to point 
to another world, as the proper time and situation for developing 
this characteristic of our nature. And when we call to mind 
how well adapted our future home will be to develope and gra- 
tify these elements of our being, surely we will not be so un- 
grateful as to complain, because duty and the character of our 
present home will not allow us this indulgence here. No, let us 



128 MEMOIR OP S. F. JOHNSTON. 

give up all our feelings for time and look to eternity as the home 
in which they will all be gratified far beyond what we can con- 
ceive or think. It is to this period that I look with pleasure 
and fond anticipation ; and until I reach that home, I wish no 
rest — no time for indulging natural feelings. Active employ- 
ment in Grod's service is my great and I trust sincere desire. 
Apart from this, life to me would be a most unpleasant and bur- 
densome weight. Who would desire to live in this world, full 
of sin and suficring, unless he were employed in the service of 
his all wise, and merciful Creator? Surely nothing but this 
should induce us to live amidst such most unpleasant and soul- 
rending scenes. Nothing else should wed us to this world — a 
world wholly at enmity with every sentiment of the Christian's 
soul — a world whose constant aim is to afflict and oppress and 
injure the believer's soul in every possible manner. As our Sa- 
viour has expressed it, ' Ye are not of the world, therefore the 
world hateth you. ' 

' ' But can this be said of professing Christians of the present 
day? I fear not. It seems to me as if the world and the 
church had come to some understanding between each other — 
that they have made a truce, by which they have agreed to live 
in mutual and friendly intercourse. Hence at the present day, 
it appears to me that we cannot say with strict propriety that 
the world hates the church. In fact it is difficult to draw the 
line of demarcation between the church and the world. To my 
mind this is the most gloomy picture of the present age. I be- 
lieve we have all departed far, very far, from the standard of 
Christian duty. So far have we departed from just views of 
duty and the faithful discharge of it, that I believe if the zealous 
non-conforming Paul was to appear in our day, he would be 
called an insane fanatic. " 

His journal indicates that his medical studies were 
prosecuted in the same religious spirit as marked all his 
previous course, but space will only permit one or two 
extracts. 

"30. After much wandering through varied scenes, I have 



PREPARING FOR xMISSIONARY WORK. 121) 

arrived safely at this citj^' for the purijose of prosecuting the 
study of medicine for a time. I matriculated to-day in the 
Pensjdvania Medical College. I was much pleased with the 
character and tone of the Institution. 

" 31. This day I have set apart to meditation and prayer with 
a special view to prepare for the prosecution of my studies in 
this place : 1. Reviewing my life — the multiplied grounds for 
gratitude to God, to love, serve and trust in him. 2. Acknow- 
ledging the kindness of Grod in bringing me safely to this place. 
3. Confession of sin, prayer for forgiveness. 4. Special prayer 
for God's presence and aid during my residence in this place — 
that he would direct me how I shall employ my time — give me 
earnestness, diligence and success in study — cause these studies 
to tend largely to fit me for the work to which he may call me — 
and that he would enable me to have a single view to his glory 
in all I do. Oh, may the prayers of this day be heard — short- 
comings and imperfections forgiven ! Oh, surround me with 
Thy favour as with a shield ! Give me to know what is right, 
and to Thj" name be the glory. 

' ' Nov. 5. In the prosecution of the study of medicine, how 
much do I see to call to mind a Great First Cause — to remind 
me of my duty to adore him for the wonderful manner in which 
he has created me — to trust upon him every moment for protec- 
tion for my existence. How true are the words of the Psalmist, 
"lam fearfully and wonderfully made." Who can doubt the 
existence of God ? Who could not adore and admire his wis- 
dom and power in creation ? How humanity is degraded and 
reduced to its suffering condition by ignorance and vice ! Oh, 
what scenes of suffering to which I am witness ! Oh, give me a 
heart to sympathize with suffering humanity ! Direct the ex- 
ercises of my mind in witnessing these scenes. 

"Jan. 1. 0, Lord! Thou hast most mercifully brought me 
through another year. As I enter upon a new year, I would 
only resolve in Christ to live more by faith — to have no confi- 
dence in the flesh — to do all things in Christ's strength, and 
to give up self. This last is the most difficult thing in the Chris- 
tian's experience. 

"19. It is an easy matter to assert that salvation is all of 



130 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

grace, but it is a difficult tiling to fully realize it. I fear many 
boast of their Calvinistic views, who know little of this doctrine 
experimentally, I find that my soul naturally abhors it. There 
is such a reluctance to give up wholly with self in the matter of 
my justification and sanctification and to seek these from God 
as a free gift. 

"Feb. 19, Leave this city in which I have enjoyed such valu- 
able privileges — and had so much communion with God in prayer, 
the study of his word and meditation. I would now go out as 
Jacob of old did aud commit myself to that faithful Creator, who 
has led me and fed me up to the present moment, trusting that 
he will still provide for me — guide and protect me from all harm 
and every danger seen and unseen. ' ' 

Having returned home he prepared to pass through 
trials for license before the Presbytery according to the 
rules of the Presbyterian Church. Having, however, 
a short season of leisure, he directed his mind, specially 
to an examination of his views of the ministerial ofl&ce, 
his motives in desiring to enter into it, the nature of a 
call to it, and especially his own call and qualifications 
for the work. We doubt not that his records on this 
subject will be regarded as interesting and fitted to be 
profitable, especially to those looking forward to the 
office of the gospel ministry: 

"March 4. Through the goodness and overflowing mercy of 
God I am once more in my native land. Oh, how good has the 
Lord been to me in all my wanderings ! How kindly he has 
watched over all my mistakes. 

"15. I now have a short period allowed me free from all 
public and scholastic duties. This appears to my mind to be a 
breathing time— a time for reflection — ^to look into my own 
heart — to bring it faithfully to the touchstone of Divine truth — 
to look to my position, its duties and responsibilities — to con- 
sider what constitutes fitness for the ministerial office — a call to 
it, and its results, as seen in time and eternity. 



PREPARING FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 131 

• 

"18. When we view the ministerial office in all its relations 
and bearings, how much do we see in it calling for self-denial 
and unqualified consecration to it. 0, Lord, thus fit me for this 
office ! Deliver me from selfishness. May thy will be my will, 
my all-absorbing aim and aspiration the promotion of thy glory, 
the good of Zion, and the salvation of souls. May I not be left 
to consult my own feeling or interests, but only thy will. De- 
liver me from pride, all self-sufficiencj^, and carnal-mindedness. 

"21. I have to lament a constant disposition to make the 
grand aim of all my studies, the instruction of others. When 
I study my Bible, I am ever viewing it as adapted to the various 
conditions of others. In my meditations, the instruction and 
good of others is my theme. Thus I have little time to attend 
to my own soul's wants. May I ever be on my guard against 
this ruinous error. I would resolve in Christ to attend more 
hereafter to the condition of my own soul ; that I myself be not 
a castaway. 

"April 21. From my earliest recollections I have had a desire 
to preach the gospel, to be employed for the good of my fellow- 
beings. I can recollect that in early childhood, when I heard a 
sermon, especially if an earnest one, I was full of a desire to 
preach also. At times I have even been affected to tears in this 
way. This continued as I grew older. I had a constant desire 
to be useful. I now discover that I was then a stranger to that 
very Saviour I desired to preach. I now know also that in trhese 
desires there was much that was selfish. But still I trust that 
it was at least partially from Grod, that it was the forerunner of 
Grod's design in reference to me. There is mu.ch in my past life 
to lead me to this conclusion, and I feel that I would be guilty 
of ingratitude to God were I to overlook these, his dealings with 
me. But shall I make these the grounds of my entrance into 
the ministry? Shall I regard them as sufficient evidence 
that I have a call to it? Oh, no ! I must give this a prayerful 
Scriptural investigation. Let me now ere I enter that office re- 
cord my views and feelings in regard to it, my evidence of a call, 
and my hope of success in it. 

"26. Why do I, a poor, weak, ignorant, and erring mortal, 
one in whom there is no sufficiency, venture, presume to enter 



132 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

into the office of the ministry? Should I not fly from this 
work with the language ' Who is sufficient for these things ?' 
The first grand consideration which leads me to enter this office 
is this, God has provided a plan by which sinners may be saved. 
A knowledge of this plan is absolutely necessary to their salva- 
tion. Sinners are to be instructed, exhorted, entreated, and be- 
sought in order to reconcile them to Grod. This work, responsi- 
ble as it may be, he has been pleased in the counsels of his good 
pleasure to assign to human instrumentality. See Matt, xxviii. 
18, 20; Acts vi. 1 — 6; 1 Pet. v. 2, and a multitude of other 
passages. But though this work is left to human instru- 
mentality, yet all are not to be ambassadors from Grod to a world 
lying in sin. God has retained his right to select whom he 
pleases for this responsible work. Ah, this thought should fill 
every mind which would aspire to this office with deep humility, 
causing him to pause, to tremble, to inquire, to pray, to ex- 
amine, and to cast himself upon the guidance of God ! A 
master workman exercises his right to choose his instruments, 
so does God. See John xx. 21 ; Acts xx. 28, xiii. 2-4 ; Jer. 
xxiii. 4, 21 ; Isa. vi. 8. Who then would dare thrust himself 
into this work unless God chooses him ? 

"28. But now to answer this solemn question. Why do I 
aspire to this office ? May thine ej^es be now bearing upon me 
in tender mercies. The long desire which I have had to enter 
this. office I do not now notice. Hence I would first recognize 
God's will to me in this matter in providence. Having given 
myself to God, and devoted my all to a course of preparation 
for this work with this language, ' 0, Lord, hedge up every way 
by which I would enter this office, if it be not thy will that I en- 
gage in this work,' though to human appearance ni}'^ way 
seemed to be obstructed by barriers insurmountable, j^et as I ap- 
proached these, they vanished as the fleeting shadow ; but not in 
the way anticipated. I had none to encourage, but many to 
discourage. Still the desire continued to burn within and in- 
crease. Thus I was propelled forward, God opened up the way. 
I was led earnestly to seek direction from God in reference to 
this work, that he would lead me in that in which I would do 
most for his glory. Thus I was brought forward until I nearly 



PREPARING FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 133 

reached this work. True, during this time there was in my 
heart a mass of corruption of which I was lamentably ignorant, 
but still I believe that Grod in great mercy was bringing me for- 
ward to the work, because it was his wondrous arid merciful 
purpose to make me a preacher of the mystery of godliness. 
Thus, then, I am encouraged to go forward and dare not go 
back. His providential dealings with me and his guidings have 
all been working to this end, as a voice saying to me, ' go. ' 

" 29. I would next notice God's voice to me in the manner in 
which I have (contrary to my desire and anticipation) been 
kept back from entering this work. When, six or eight months 
ago, I would have entered this office, God's hand kept me back. 
^Y this he has been restraining my too sanguine temperament, 
leading me to trust less to an arm of flesh, making me to feel 
my own unfitness, nothingness, arousing me from indolence, 
and making me to know more largelj^ of the corruption and de- 
ceitfulness of my own heart, the impurity of my motives, and 
my need of the constant and powerful indwelling of the Holy 
Spirit's influence to fit and strengthen me for this work. Du- 
ring this period he has led me to reflect deeply, earnestly upon 
the character of this office, the qualification necessary for it, and 
the questions, What constitutes a call to this work ? and, Am I 
called to it ? I trust this is the merciful work of God, and thus 
while he has been giving me to see my nothingness and vanity, 
so that while in view of these I could flee from such a position into 
the deepest recesses of solitude, j^et his power in me is compel- 
ling me to go forward. I dare not go back. He has led me 
to far more earnest and frequent prayer, prayer in yearnings 
and tears, for wisdom, guidance, fitness, strength— ^an assurance 
of a call in reference to this office. I have been led to abhor 
myself in dust and ashes, to look to God for everything, and to 
render all glory to him. ' ' 
12 



134 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 



CHAPTER VII. 

XjICENSTJUE and JLABOZ/RS in nova SCOTIA. 

We now come to what was undoubtedly the most pain- 
ful trial of Mr. Johnston's life ; and as, in stating the 
facts we may seem to reflect on other parties, we would 
have preferred not noticing the matter at all. But as 
it was the cause of his being detained a year from the 
Foreign Mission field — as it was to him an event of most 
serious moment — causing the deepest distress for a time, 
and giving occasion for a fine exhibition of Christian meek- 
ness, and as it formed an important part of his spiritual 
training, we cannot omit reference to it. When he 
now came forward to the Presbytery to receive license 
he was rejected, at least for a time. He had expected 
to have been licensed the previous autumn. He had 
attended Presbytery for the purpose, but circumstances 
twice prevented the attendance of members. Under 
the disappointment, he gave utterance to some hasty 
expressions which gave oifence. At all events, when he 
returned in spring, he found that the faces of some of 
his ecclesiastical superiors were not toward him as afore- 
time ; and w^hen he came forward to deliver the dis- 
courses assigned him as his trials for license, some of 
them were rejected, and that with such strong expres- 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 135 

sions of his want of qualifications for the work of the 
ministry by a portion of the Presbytery, as rendered 
it doubtful whether they would ever consent to license 
him at all. When we consider the years of arduous 
toil which he had spent in preparation for that work — 
how it had formed the object of his aspirations and 
prayers almost from childhood — and the sensitiveness 
of his spirit, we may judge how this sudden quenching 
of his hopes should have almost crushed him to the 
earth. 

There were circumstances which rendered the disap- 
pointment greater. He had passed through a more 
extensive and varied course of study, than most of the 
students of the church to which he belonged. At each 
of the three institutions which he attended, he had not 
only enjoyed the esteem of both Professors and students, 
but was regarded by both as giving promise of useful- 
ness as a minister. He might not have been considered 
as a man of extraordinary powers, but he was viewed 
as possessing respectable talents, as well as devoted 
piety and great zeal. The discourses which he delivered 
before the Professors were always approved as fair spe- 
cimens of mental power. He had during his Theolo- 
gical course delivered several exercises before the Pres- 
bytery, and always with approval. The summer before, 
the Presbytery had agreed without opposition to take 
him on trial for license, and it had been intended that 
he should be licensed at the conclusion of the term in 
October. Till this time every encouragement had been 
held out to him to go forward, and he had not the 
slightest reason to anticipate any obstacle to entering 
upon the course to which he had been looking forward. 



136 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

How keen mii.-it have been his disappointment to find 
his way at once to all appearance entirely blocked up. 

In justice to the Presbytery, however, it must be ob- 
served, that in his discourses he had laid himself open 
to criticism. During his labours in Kansas and else- 
where, he had been in the habit of delivering addresses, 
which were rather in the form of exhortations, than 
regular discourses upon passages of Scripture. He had 
besides adopted the idea, that there was generally in 
the church, both among professors and non-professors, 
much more knowledge than Christian life, and that 
people needed not so much to be instructed as to be 
roused. Hence when subjects of discourse were as- 
signed him, instead of giving his attention to a sound 
exposition of the passages appointed, and endeavouring 
to exhibit the truths which they contain, he made his 
discourses rather in the form of earnest appeals, only 
slightly based on his text, forgetful that all sound ex- 
hortation must be founded on scriptural truth — that it 
is "by manifestation of the truth, that we are to com- 
mend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight 
of God." 

Another matter however at this time excited some 
attention. In the extracts from his diary and letters 
which we have given, it will be seen that in several in- 
stances he expresses himself in rather strong terms, re- 
garding the cliurch, as having imbibed the spirit of the 
world, and far from . manifesting that spirit of self- 
denial, to which she is bound by the laws and example 
of her great Head, as well as by the objects of her in- 
stitution and the claims of a perishing world. We can- 
not see how any thoughtful Christian can deny, that 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 137 

there is a large measure of truth in such views, or 
wonder that persons should be urgent in pressing them 
upon the attention of others. This is only character- 
istic of all zealous souls, particularly in youth. But un- 
doubtedly such persons are in danger of falling into a 
spirit of intolerance and want of charity toward others, 
or of cherishing self-righteous ideas of themselves, and 
perhaps in some instances of sinking into a morbid and 
misanthropic gloominess of spirit. But persons of the 
right sort soon learn to make allowances for the short- 
comings of human nature ; and while continuing as 
zealous as ever, judge charitably of the deficient zeal 
of others, and the more diligently they labour, the more 
are they " clothed with humility." The impressions of 
Mr. Johnston arose not from self-elation, but were the na- 
tural and honest expressions of a heart burning with 
regard for his Father's glory ; but seeing the danger to 
which persons of this temperament are exposed, it 
would have been a most friendly act to have pointed it 
out in a kindly manner, and to show him the necessity 
not only of zeal but of having his zeal tempered by 
forbearance toward others, and thus of being like Him, 
who while '' the zeal of his Father's house had eaten 
him up," was yet so considerate of the little faith of 
his disciples. No young man was ever more willing to 
receive direction from those whom he respected, and 
even if he had committed errors, it would have been no 
difficult matter to have convinced him of them. Instead 
of this he was denounced in what he regarded as a very 
harsh manner as indulging in self-righteous assumption 
and cherishing a gloomy fanaticism. *^'A reproof en- 
tereth more into the heart of a wise man than a hundred 
12 * 



138 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

stripes into the back of a fool," and Mr. Johnston was 
one of those sensitive spirits, in which such treatment 
occasioned a poignancy of anguish, of which ordinary 
minds know nothing. He felt it the more keenly, since 
it was occasioned in a great measure by the honest ex- 
pressions of views arising out of heartfelt zeal, and 
that thus he could not see his error or the justice of the 
reproofs. 

But a principal object we have had in view in noti- 
cing the matter, is to show the meekness he manifested 
under this the severest trial of his life. In such a situa- 
tion most young men would have indulged in bitter re- 
criminations against those from whom they had received 
such treatment. Yet though he refers frequently to 
these subjects in his diary and correspondence with his 
most intimate friends, yet we have not seen one word 
exhibiting bitterness against them personally, or casting 
any reflections upon their motives. While mourning as 
a dove, and complaining of the want of sympathy in 
others, he utters no reproaches. In such a situation 
a proud young man would have sought a connexion with 
one of the other religious bodies, which he well knew 
would have received him with open arms, and in which 
his prospects of worldly comfort were at least as favour- 
able as in the Presbyterian church of Nova Scotia. But 
instead of this the event only led him more closely to 
God. Viewing it as a dispensation of God's providence 
needed for some reason and intended for wise designs, 
he felt it as a call to new searchings of heart in refer- 
ence to his motives and designs in entering the ministry. 
In such exercises he was led to feel that there was 
something of self in his seeking to fix the time and mode 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 139 

of his engaging in the work ; he was led to cast himself 
unreservedly upon his heavenly Father, imploring his 
guidance and strength, and committing his way entirely to 
his providence. But on these points we must allow him to 
speak for himself. Thus he writes in his diary : 

"May 14. Attended Preshytery for the purpose of obtaining 
license. Only gave in a part of my trial-exercises. A part of 
what I gave in were not sustained. Thus I am kept back from 
the work of the ministry. Grod, thy ways are mysterious ! 
Is it a spirit of delusion which has moved me to devote myself 
to this work ? Lord, direct me as to where I shall be, and as 
to how I shall be employed ! While upon earth, may I be ac- 
tively engaged in thy service. If thou hast a work for me to 
do, make me to know what it is — direct me to it — fit me for it, 
and uphold me in it. Grive me a heart to render all the glory to 
thee with joy. If thou hast no work for me on earth, oh, take 
me to thyself, from the evil of this world! 

"15. Why am I kept back from being actively engaged in 
thy service? I feel that it is Grod's merciful design. I have 
been desiring to enter this work according to my own time and 
way. He has mercifully restrained me, to teach me that ' His 
thoughts are not 'as my thoughts, nor his ways as my ways. ' I 
would now give myself to thee, pleading that I might be delivered 
from all pride, selfishness, self-sufficiency — that thou would' st 
do with me what seemeth to thee good, only make me a bless- 
ing, and deny me not thy grace, and give me a heart to render 
all the glory unto thee. 

"July 10. Leave for Presbytery. I would go forth as Jacob 
of old did. I would now leave home for ever. Lord, bless 
my parents, and brothers, and sisters for all the kindness and 
love they have shown to me ! It has been much and undeserved. 
Oh, grant them the reward ! Oh, bless unto my soul parental 
instructions and example ! May it not be as water spilt upon 
the ground, but may it bring forth fruit. Lord, be with me 
during life — ^be a wall around me, my Guide, Comforter, Strength, 
Salvation ! May thy Spirit working mightily in me deliver me 



140 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, carry me through every 
duty, trial, and difficulty, and enable me faithfully to serve and 
enjoy thee there, and prepare me for the mansions in glory. 
G-rant me faith strong, glowing, and never failing. 

' ' Aug. 2. I see it is some time since I have recorded anything 
in my diary. This period is one which, by the grace of Grod, I 
have spent more profitably than any former portion of my life. 
It has been one of the most happy. During this time I have 
learned more, and have been taught more (by the grace of Grod) 
that qualifies me for his service and enjoyment, than I have 
learned in years of hard study in times that are gone by. I 
value this work upon my soul more than all my former book 
learning (however much I may and do value that). I know 
that during my short pilgrimage, and during eternity, I will 
bless Grod for this short season of retirement and neglect which 
he has given me at home for six months. And now I am here 
alone. No one sympathizes with me. Mine is to realize what 
it is to be neglected, depressed, and to have the cool, chilling 
indiiFerence of friends. But it is in thee, Lord, that I can 
rejoice in this position, and adore and bless the wisdom and 
kindness which thou hast manifested towards me in thus dealing 
with me. Thou art thus drawing away my affections and confi- 
dence from other objects, and placing them on thee. And now 
I see that I have been robbing thee — giving to others what was 
thine. Thou hast been standing at the door knocking, covered 
with the cold dew of the night, and yet I have been so much 
busied and taken up with mine own, that I have not arisen to 
let thee in. I have no language to express my ingratitude, my 
cruelty, and base want of love to thee. What has been the re- 
sult ? "Why, I have been compelled to arise and go through the 
streets and lanes, seeking him whom my soul loveth. I have 
called, but he gave me no answer. The watchmen have smitten 
and wounded me. My soul has been sore distressed. But now 
I have found my beloved, and he is altogether lovely. Oh, stir 
him not up nor awake him, ye pleasures of time, ye lusts, ye 
idols ! May he ever repose in my bosom. I am my beloved's — 
his desires are toward me — he is mine. I will ever serve him 
and rejoice in his great salvation. And what is my beloved 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 141 

more than another beloved ? I cannot tell, but I have seen him 
by the ej^e of faith, and I am sick of love. 

"Aug. 29, 1858. A solemn dedication to the ministry. 
(rod, since thou hast been pleased to provide a great salvation 
for man, whose efficacj' is infinite — since there is bread enough 
and to spare in thy house — since myriads are perishing from 
hunger — since thou in the great pleasure of thy will, hast been 
pleased to comlnit the work of supplying these perishing mj^ri- 
ads with this bread to human agency, and not to accomplish the 
work thyself directlj^ — since thou hast no pleasure in the death 
of the sinner, and multitudes are perishing all around — since 
those whom thou dost employ in the work of the ministry are 
worms of the dust who have no sufficiency of themselves, but all 
is of thee, and there is no respect of persons with thee, — and 
since I have been moved, constrained, and forced, as it were, to 
prepare and come forward to this work — a poor worm though I 
be — therefore 1 entirely coiuea^ate tnyself to the work of the mm-, 
istiy while in this vale of tears, to spend all my energies of mind 
and body in beseeching sinners in Christ's stead to be reconciled 
to Grod. I give myself to the work of foreign evangelization, in 
this work to live and die. May my soul be entirely absorbed in 
it! My Father, my dear Saviour, Holy Spirit, my Sanctifier, 
hear — accept — carry me through this work — own and abundantly 
bless my labours, and receive me to the mansions of glory with 
multitudes of souls for my hire, and all, ALL, ALL the glory 
for ever shall be thine." 

The following are extracts from his confidential cor- 
respondence on the same occasion. 

TO MISS o'brien. 

" Stewiache, June 5, 1858. 
"Why do I write so soon again. It is for your sake. I know 
your mind. You are deeply grieved on account of my trouble. 
Is it not so ? But I am now most happy to inform you that I 
am now happy — that the load of grief and sorrow which I can- 
not describe, is now removed from my mind. You have been 
sympathizing in solitude where no eye but God's beheld you — ■ 



142 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

there you have raised your voice to Grod in deep and earnest 
cries. God has heard our supplications. Do you ask how have 
you obtained coinfort? I will endeavour to tell you. I have 
looked to Christ. — Oh, what a glorious Kedeemer ! Oh, how 
can I be unhappy while I have such a Saviour ! Why should I 
any longer doubt his precious promises and invitations ? Far- 
ther, I now feel that Grod in Christ loves me — a worm of the 
dust. Oh, what a sweet, consoling, cheering thought ! If he 
loves me how can I grieve. What need I fear. He has all 
power. He can do with me and for me what he pleases. It 
has pleased him to place me in my present position. Shall I 
complain ? Oh, no ! My best friend has done it. It is right, 
and I must be contented. Thus I feel happy. I would just re- 
main here contentedly until he sees proper to remove me to 
some other place. Let me then take sweet comfort and delight, 
while here in holding communion with him. Still more I now 
see that there was selfishness in my desire to enter upon my 
work — that I thought I must engage in it just at such a time 
and in such a way. God has now taught me that his ways are 
not as my ways. For these reasons and others I now see it to 
be one of the most merciful dealings of Providence towards me 
— my being kept back from the ministry, when I would have 
thrust myself into this work from motives so selfish. Oh, how 
kind has God been to keep me back ! He has been dealing with 
me so as to humble me, to lead me to see my own nothingness, 
to look unto him for all strength and guidance— to commit all 
unto him and wait his bidding. Thus I am encouraged to be- 
lieve more confidently that he is calling me to this work. True, 
his chastisements are sore. But oh, how kind is that Father 
who faithfully restrains and chastises his child! Why then 
should I complain ? Should I not rather rejoice and abound in 
songs of thanksgiving to God, who has done so kind things to 
me? 

"While I would thus feel happy as regards myself— while I 
feel freed from an inexpressible burden, yet think not I am free 
from trouble. No. I only mean that a weight has been re- 
moved from my mind as to my present position. But, my 
dearest bosom friend, may I tell you my troubles ? I now see 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 143 

nothing before me but trials, toils, and afflictions. But should 
these fill me with sadness ? No. It is their character which 
does it. I now find that former friends — if I come out with my 
views, will leave me — will despise me, and regard me as a poor 
simple fanatic. Those who once would give me kindly advice 
are now my enemies. I must either conceal my views or else be 
regarded as a proud, self-righteous, vainglorious, hypocrite — 
Now there is much in this to give trouble and sadness. ' ' 

TO THE SAME. 

" June 26. — I have just returned from Synod. I was two 
weeks gone. What weeks! They seem to me like so many 
months. You do not yet know what it is to be tossed about in 
a cruel world. If it were not for the perishing heathen, I feel 
that I would gladly quit this vale of tears and sin. The thought 
that Grod may some day employ me in telling the love of the Sa- 
viour to the benighted heathen supports me. Oh, if it were 
not for that thought, I would sink under my present trials ! But 
if God will only be pleased thus to employ me, I can rejoice in 
all these trials." 

TO THE SAME. 

"Sept. 25. — In calmly reviewing the past, I feel that I 
have said things which must have hurt your feelings. Dear 
friend, view these statements charitably. It was in the hour of 
deep darkness that I thus spoke. Ministers and friends, who 
had formerly encouraged me, turned against me — why I know 
not. I received the chilling look of indifixsrence — more, the se- 
verest reproof, and was represented as wanting talents and all 
the qualifications requisite to make a useful man. I gave a sim- 
ple and honest (as I thought) statement of my views of the 
state of the church at the present day. I was called a self- 
righteous hypocrite, a gloomy Christian — one who regarded my- 
self as holier than others. Thus my way to that work to which 
I had ever been aspiring, was to appearance hedged up. 

"But more you cannot imagine until in similar circumstances, 



144 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

how the soul when thus forsaken and despised, longs and yearns 
for sympathy. Yes, it looks for more sympathy than it could 
reasonably expect or deserve. Here again I did not receive 
from you the sympathy my heart was greedily craving. Hence 
it was that I so frequently said that I was alone. I now know 
that there was much that was selfish in this. But you in your 
position cannot conceive the power of the influences operating 
upon me, leading me to such a state of mind. 

"For these reasons, I trust you will excuse all my hasty and 
improper expressions, and only learn to sympathize with poor 
erring humanity. Remember that even David, when forsaken 
and despised, said in his haste that all men are liars. I also did 
not fully consider that you were not situated, as I was, and that 
hence I could not expect that interest and sympathy which my 
circumstances seemed to demand. 

' ' But would you take pleasure in listening to a few more state- 
ments respecting the past, what my feelings have been ? It was 
when my wa^y seemed to be hedged up, when friends forsook 
me, when none seemed to sympathize, when none seemed to give 
suitable advice or encouragement, when many discouraged, 
when my views were despised, when I must be wrong, or if 
right all others must be wrong. It was then that my soul was 
in bitterness and anguish and darkness, and with tears gushing 
forth and with heartfelt yearnings, I besought the Lord and 
gave him no rest, that he would show me the work he would 
have me engaged in, whatever that might be, even though it 
should be that of a doorkeeper in his house [tJiat I would gladly 
be) that he would emploj'' me in his service, that he would send 
me to the poor heathen, that he would give me right feelings 
towards all men, the church, and the world — that he would not 
allow me his poor child to be deceived by my depraved deceitful 
heart — that he would save me from pride and self-sufficiency — 
that he would point out unto me the path of duty and lead me 
therein, and qualify me for that to which he would call me. 

" And now what shall I say respecting the present? Though 
he has chosen me for his service, yet he has not given me a 
work to do. I am here, by the overrulings of Providence, un- 
employed. Should not this humble me? Does it not say to 



LICENSURE AND LABOUR IN NOVA SCOTIA. 145 

me, there is still something within you which unfits j^ou for my 
service ? You are not worthy and not quahfied for so sacred a 
work. Yes, I have reason to be humbled in the dust, and to 
search my heart with care, prayer and diligence. Oh, may the 
Lord deliver me from my faults and unworthiness, fit me for his 
service, and point out to me my duty, and to his name shall be 
all the praise. 

" Ah this is an age of worldlihess, selfishness, and pride. Dress, 
the gratification of sensual, depraved, and pampered tastes, ap- 
petites, and desires, absorb the thoughts, time, and means of 
the masses. How little self-denial. What we desire we mu§t 
have, if it is in our power, regardless of the interests of Christ's 
kingdom. Oh, how all- prevailing is the desii-e to please men, 
to live according to the customs and fashions of society ! How 
we fear being regarded as singular I How unvsdlling to be as 
Paul, who was regarded as the offscouring of all things. How 
little heavenly-mindedness. The prayer-meeting is deserted, 
while the house of mirth is crowded. Idle talk and jesting 
abound, but pious, godly conversation is almost unknown. Light 
reading and light conversation prevail, but prayerful, careful, 
daily reading of the Scriptures is seldom met with. Few are 
endeavouring to win sinners to the Saviour. The world and the 
Church are quite at peace with each other. The Christian re- 
ceives little reproach or persecution. Ah, because he so conforms 
to the world ! " . 

The event to which we have referred is an instructive 
one in various respects. It aflfords g^ lesson to young 
men, warning them against his errors, and encouraging 
them to perseverance, should they find obstacles in their 
path. To Presbyteries and churches it is also instruc- 
tive. They often err in yielding to the desire of young 
men to enter the ministry, who are not fitted for it, but 
this case surely afibrds them a warning on the other 
hand to be cautious how they discourage young men of 
earnestness and zeal, whose hearts are set upon the 



146 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

ministerial work, even though their discourses may not 
be fashioned according to the regular forms. 

Upon Mr. J. the event, painful as it was, was at- 
tended with beneficial results. It stimulated him to 
closer study and to efforts to correct the faults of style 
that had been pointed out, so that his subsequent dis- 
courses were unanimously regarded as manifesting great 
improvement, while upon his heart, as his diary shows, 
it wrought the peaceable fruits of righteousness. If 
he erred in his views regarding the Church, his error 
was corrected, and his zeal was henceforth tempered 
with forbearance and graced by humility, w^hile the 
general tone of his spirit was marked by a ripening 
toward that perfection, into which he was so soon to 
enter. 

In June he attended the meeting of Synod at which 
till now he had fondly hoped that he was to receiye bis 
commission to go to the heathen, with feelings of deopest 
anxiety. The members of the Board of Foreign Mis- 
sions and other members of Synod, who knew something 
of his character and qualifications, strongly sympathized 
with him and encouraged him to persevere. Hence he 
prepared again to meet the Presbytery, and accordingly 
was licensed on the 1st September. His feelings and 
exercises on this occasion he thus describes : 

" Stewiacke, Sept. 3. I have to record an event to which I 
long looked forward with the deepest anxiety. On the first day 
of this month I was licensed to preach the everlasting gospel, 
to proclaim it wherever Grod may see fit to call me. Ah, what 
a work for a poor, weak mortal like me ! My only hope is in 
the sufficiency of Him who has brought me forward to this work. 
Many are the trials through which he has brought me. How 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 147 

often have I been in deep darkness and my way, to all appear- 
ance, hedged up. Time after time Grod has removed these. 

' ' The very entrance upon my work has been the severest trial 
and struggle of all. The Presbytery has estimated my attain- 
ments and abilities as very inferior, and given the Church but 
little grounds to anticipate much from me. To all appearance 
they had determined within their own minds to reject me, as 
unqualified for such a responsible office. But thou, Lord, 
dost not see as man seeth. In thy wondrous condescension thou 
didst choose me, so erring, so helpless, and despised a worm, to 
so responsible and arduous a work. And now as thou hast been 
pleased to call me to this work, qualify me for and carry me 
through, all its duties, trials, toils, and temptations, that I may 
at the termination of my race, be enabled to say, I have fought 
a good fight, I have finished my course, henceforth there is laid 
up for me a crown of glory, which the Lord, the righteous judge, 
shall give to me at that day. 

"5. This day I commenced my labours as a minister of Christ. 
Ah, what am I for such a work ! I am of unclean lips and 
dwell among a people of unclean lips. This day I did experi- 
ence thy power and thy presence, but to what a small extent. 
How have I been mourning an absent Lord. And why is it 
thus with me ? Ah, I can trace it to my unbelief, selfishness, 
and pride of heart ! How have I desired to experience great 
joy in these duties. This I desired more than thy glory, and 
the salvation of perishing souls. How desirous of my own 
glory. How deceitful and traitorous is my heart. My only 
hope is thy pardoning mercy and renewing and supporting 
grace. ' ' 

Under date Sept. 25, there follows a dedication of 
himself to God's service similar to that on page 42, but 
at much greater length, which our space obliges us to 
omit. 

As the season was now advanced, and as an acquaint- 
ance with the ministerial work at home is considered an 
advantage in the mission field, it was deemed advisable 



148 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

that he should spend a few months in Home Missionary 
labour. Accordingly, the autumn of 1858 and the 
winter of 1859 were spent in preaching in the vacant 
congregations and mission stations of the Church. In 
consequence of what had taken place he entered upon 
the work with a heavy heart. But he soon showed him- 
self " a workman that needeth not to be ashamed." He 
had not been many weeks engaged in the work, until he 
made a deep impression both by his public prqaching 
and private ministrations. He was extremely diligent, 
as might have been expected, not only preaching on 
Sabbath, but visiting and holding services of various 
kinds during the week, particularly endeavouring to es- 
tablish prayer-meetings, which were generally wanting 
in those places which he visited, in consequence of the 
want of settled pastors. Good effects were apparent 
in almost every place he visited. Not only did his ap- 
pearance, manner, and amiable disposition win for him 
personal esteem, but in more than one place which he 
visited he was the means of producing a decided awak- 
ening in the community on the subject of religion. 
Prayer-meetings were largely attended, where none had 
been in existence before, and those who had been care- 
less on the subject before, flocked to hear him and 
manifested their interest in the great concern. Even 
Romanists were drawn to his meetings. Yet it was at 
times remarked, that the impression he produced was not 
owing so much to any remarkable talent displayed in his 
discourses, as to the intense earnestness of his appeals, 
and his soul-absorbing devotedness to his work. We 
think also that in part it was owing to something pleas- 
ing in his manner and address. 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 149 

The following from his correspondence while thus 
engaged will furnish farther particulars regarding his 
labours : 

TO THE BOARD OF HOME MISSIONS: 

" Stewiacke, Nov. 3d, 1858. 

" Kev. Sirs: — The first two Sabbaths of October I preached 
at Newport in the forenoon and at Windsor in the afternoon. 
The two following Sabbaths were spent in Newport, The 
weather was fine, and the attendance good and very attentive. 

"I visited, conversed and praj^ed, with the sick and afflicted, 
within the bounds of this congregation. 

"This was one of the most pleasant and profitable duties. I 
did but little in the way of family visitation. During the week, 
however, I preached three different evenings, in private houses, 
for persons who were then and had been for some time confined 
to a sick room. It afforded me much satisfaction to be assured 
by them, that they had been much comforted and edified by 
these exercises. What can be more pleasing, than to be em- 
ployed in administering to the afflicted consolation and comfort 
— even if it were only a drop. Thus I was encouraged, and will 
as Grod may give me opportunity and strength, continue to dis- 
charge this duty. In addition to these, two other sermons were 
preached at out stations, one of which was Kempt. Permit me 
to say a few words respecting this long neglected station. We 
have a few staunch adherents here. They seem to be firmly 
wedded to the Presbyterian form of Church Government and to 
Calvinistic views of divine truth. 

' ' They have a neat respectable church. This was built, in part, 
by donations from other churches. As I met in the sanctuar> 
with this little band, and beheld them so devoutly and joyfully 
engaging in the services of Zion, I thought that if those who 
had contributed towards the erection of this church could have 
been present, they would have been delighted and considered it 
a blessed privilege that they had been afforded the opportunity of 
contributing to the erection of his house, in which they so 
sweetly sing the songs of Zion. Oh ! that we were all more will- 
13 * 



150 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

ing and ready to lend a helping hand to every good cause brought 
to our notice. How much good might we accomplish— how 
much joy might we impart to souls — and our own souls would 
derive much true peace and joy from the happy results which 
would flow from our labours of love. It is interesting to notice 
how they have remained firmly attached to our church, though 
amidst other denominations and long wholly neglected and un- 
cared for. They had a prayer-meeting during these days when 
no one cared for their soul. To this prayer-meeting, I trace the 
rise of what my eyes had seen. Would that we had more meet- 
ings for prayer and fewer meetings for mirth ! 

' ' The last week of my appointment to Halifax Presbytery, I 
spent in Rawdon. Here I found much to lament. There are a 
few aged individuals warmly attached to our church. But the 
young are either apparently indifferent, or they are leaving our 
church and going to others. If there is not more interest taken 
in this station than heretofore, we will soon have no church 
there. 

"Satan and a wicked world are active, and why should we not 
be active — devising and labouring to execute — having Grod's glory 
constantly before our minds ? By sloth and want of efficient ac- 
tion, we have lost much. Let us set about regaining the lost, 
and extending our boundaries more and more, imitating the dis- 
ciples who went everjrwhere preaching the gospel. 

" ' ' The Sabbath I was in Bawdon was very unfavourable, and ac- 
cordingly there were not many in attendance. In the evening I 
preached in Upper Bawdon in the Methodist Chapel. Consid- 
ering the state of the weather there were a goodly number 
present. Thus ended my labours in Halifax Presbytery." 

After this mission he spent some weeks in Cape 
Breton, from which he writes as follows : 

TO HIS BROTHER. 

'' Baddeck, C. B., Feb. 3, 1859. 
" I have been quite well, and very busy since I came here. 
I am to be one more Sabbath in Baddeck, six in all. During 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 151 

my stay here I have given a weekly lecture on Thursday 
evenings. This has given me much additional labour. I 
gave one on the 'Signs of the Times.' In consequence 'of 
some remarks on dress, the young ladies threatened to rise 
against me and drive me from the place. I gave a lec- 
ture on Popery. Some were much alarmed lest I should raise 
the Romish rabble. But I believe that truth is truth, and no 
power should terrify us from proclaiming it. Last night I was 
on rum-selling. 

" I have been endeavouring to sow good seed here. At times 
I feel discouraged. But still I hope and pray that good may 
result from my weak efforts. T am often cheered by the Scrip- 
tural statement, that Grod hath appointed the foolishness of 
preaching as a means to save souls. 

" I have met with many truly kind friends who appear to be 
deeply interested in me. I regard these as given by Him whom 
I desire to serve. There are trials and responsibilities connected 
with the ministry far beyond what language can express. When 
the light of eternity opens upon us we will see things in a differ- 
ent light from what we now see them. Earth, its vanities and 
pleasures, will sink into utter nothingness. 

" Since I saw you another year has expired, and a new one 
come in. We are now one year nearer the end of our probation 
on earth — one yeaf nearer the judgment-seat — and one year 
nearer heaven or hell. These are very solemn thoughts. They 
should lead each of us to inquire, solemnly and honestly, how 
am I improving my time and privileges ? Am I prepared for 
those solemn scenes and realities which are before me ? 

" I sometimes feel that I would like to cry out against intem- 
perance in my own little and loved settlement. The indifference 
and deadness in that community are most painful. You are rea p 
ing and will reap the sad and painful fruits. No prayer-mcct- 
ing ! Ah, you are dead, and only have a name to live ! 

" What are the people in Middle Stewiacke doing this wintei? 
I fear you are all going to sleep. It is an age of deadness and 
formality. I long to be away from these dreary scenes. Th 'v 
have little charms for me. It is a world living merrily i\\i\ 
sumptuously while it is hurrjdng on to perdition. 



152 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

He also spent some time in a similar manner at 
Mabou in that island. His subsequent labours on the 
main land, will appear in his letters to his friends. 

TO A COUSIN. 

^^ Antigonish, 25th February, 1859. 
"I arrived here this week from Cape Breton, where I had 
been during the winter. I have left some warm friends behind 
me, who I trust will not forget me and my work in my prayers. 
Thoagh I have met with discouragements, yet I have evidences 
that my labours have not been in vain in the Lord. The in- 
creased attendance upon our prayer-meetings was most encourag- 
ing. At the one I set in operation at Mabou, the last evening I 
attended, quite a congregation was present. The evening was 
very cold. My hope for the revival of religion in our midst is 
in united prayer. Look over Christendom at the present day 
and see how much is being effected for Grod and his cause in an- 
swer to the prayers offered up at prayer- meetings. Oh, that we 
were more willing to meet together to pray for ourselves and 
others ! How weak our faith is ! What we want at the present 
day is an outpouring of Grod's Spirit upon ourselves and upon 
the church. We are all as a dried, parched and barren land. 
We have great need of an abundant watering. What encourage- 
ment have we to pray for the Holy Spirit ! Christ says, ' If 
ye being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how 
much more will your Father give the Holy Spirit to them that 
ask him. ' Could we wish any more encouragement to ask. ' ' 

Writing from Cape George under date 18th of March, 
after stating that Sabbath and week day services con- 
ducted by him in that congregation were attended by nu- 
merous and deeply attentive audiences, and that an inter- 
est in religion seemed to be rapidly on the increase — so 
much so indeed that " the people themselves thought it 
a little revival," he says: "All, young and old, are 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 153 

anxiously entreating me to remain with them. I never 
saw SO much anxiety. I sometimes wonder what is the 
cause of this. At times I fear it is the devil tempting 
me." 

TO A FELLOW STUDENT. 

"April 29. After leaving the island, I spent four Sabbaths 
in Antigonish. There is much wickedness in this place, card- 
playing, drinking, so I immediately commenced crying out 
against these vices to the best of my poor abilities. We also got 
up a prayer-meeting. On these the Spirit of God seemed to be 
poured out. Quite an interest was awakened. Young men who 
shunned and scorned all such religious meetings, became inte- 
rested, and showed signs of an anxious concern abouttheir souls. 
1 sometimes looked upon the work with wonder. Oh, may it 
prove to be of God, and then it will result in his glory and to the 
good of poor perishing souls ! The last prayer-meeting while I 
was there the church was crowded. So large a meeting is sel- 
dom seen on any occasion in Antigonish. May the prayers then 
offered up be answered. 

' ' After leaving, I was appointed to labour on the South Shore, 
at Sheet Harbour and vicinity. Here I found much to lament, 
carelessness, Sabbath desecration, &c. Poor people, they are 
left as sheep without a shepherd. During mj stay on these 
shores, I endeavoured to awaken them to a sense of their danger, 
and to lead them to the Saviour as a refuge from all danger. 

"lam now at home. I do not know where I shall be sent 
next. I have thus endeavoured to give you a hasty sketch of 
my labours since we parted. I have had my trials and my temp- 
tations, my seasons of sorrow and darkness, and my times of joy 
and communion with my God. Time is thus rapidly rolling on, 
and I shall soon be numbered with the dead — slumbering in the 
tomb. Oh that I may have grace to spend my short hfe to the 
glory of God and the good of souls ! 

" Now a word to my friend. Be active in your Master's ser- 
vice. Remember that a wicked world, corrupt nature and Sa- 
tan are all watching to get the advantage of you. How needful 
that we wateh and pray. Read your Bible. We cannot be 



154 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

good (Christians, unless we make the Bible our constant com- 
panion. Pray more and you will be stronger, read your Bible 
more and you will live better. I always ■ trace my backsliding 
to neglect of prayer and carelessness in studying my Bible. Be- 
member that the Christian's life is a constant conflict. If we 
would have the crown, we must fight for it. ' ' 

We may mention here that at this time in his anxiety 
to do good to individuals, he sometimes wrote letters 
anonymously to persons in whom he felt an interest, 
but with whom he had but a slight or perhaps no ac- 
quaintance, urging upon them attention to their great 
concern. We merely mention the fact, without express- 
ing any approval of the practice. Though it has the 
sanction of tlie example of such a man as Harlan Page, 
and may have in some instances been blessed, yet we 
regard it as of doubtful propriety. 

While thus diligently labouring in the home field his 
heart was among the heathen. In spring the Board of 
Foreign Minions resolved that wdth the concurrence of 
Synod, he should be sent forth in the following autumn. 
This decision he intimates in tlie following letter to his 
betrothed, dated June 1, 1839. 

" It is with pleasure deeper than I can describe, that I take 
up my pen to inform you that the Board have decided that we 
shall leave ' ' very soon after the meeting of Synod. " I do not 
know how soon, but I cannot see how it will be possible that we 
can leave before the last of August, I have now received a 
string of appointments for farewell visitation, commencing at 
Biver John, first Sabbath. 

"No news that I ever received so filled my heart with glad- 
ness as this intelligence. I trust it will be the same with you, 
I would regard it as an answer to our prayers. Let our hearts 
swell with gratitude to the prayer-hearing Jehovah — glow with 



LICENSURE AXD LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 155 

sympatliy for peviiliing souls and confide in him as our strength. 
Let the present be a season of special thanksgiving to G-od for 
what he has done for us during our past lives. Let it also be a 
season of new consecration to his service— seeking fitness for the 
work before us, and earnestly asking him to guide us through 
this dark valley — to preserve us amid all the dangers that beset 
our path — to prepare a field of labour for us. 

"My dear friend, you often mourn over unfitness for this 
work. May I ask you, how do you feel now — with a view of an 
immediate departure before you ? Can I say a word of comfort 
or encouragement to you ? • My words must be few. Hear the 
voice of your Saviour, asking you to go and tell to the poor 
perishing heathen, your brothers and sisters, the story of his 
love. Now do not answer him as . Moses did. Let your reply 
be, Lord ! thou hast chosen a poor unfit worm. But I know 
that thou art wise, and knowest whom to choose. Do thou 
therefore show thy wisdom in choosing me, by making me fit 
for this work. 2. Lord ! thou sendest none a warfare on 
their own charges ; do thou therefore send me to this work in 
•thy own strength. 3. Grive me that faith by which I may do all 
things in Christ's strength. 4. Oh save me from all pride, and 
self-suificiency ! Make me humble, child-like, confiding, meek, 
patient, tender, kind, gentle and wise. 5. Fill me with perfect 
submission to thy will. Save me from my own proud stubborn 
will. Fill me with burning zeal for thy glory, and glowing sym- 
pathy for perishing souls. 

" Remember that much of this reluctance to go forward pro- 
ceeds from pride. We feel our unfitness, and because we are 
not fit and cannot fit ourselves, we mourn and complain. Why, 
Paul said he had no fitness. But what did he do ? V^hy, he 
simply went to his Master for strength and sufficiency. I would 
like to write more, but I have no time. Head your Bible, and 
pray over it. Here is our strength and comfort. 

" I shall now have constant toil and driving. Never did I 
feel my unfitness for this work more than I now do. ]?ut T 
would constantly pray that he would work through such a poor 
weak instrument. I trust you will wrestle with God in your 
prayers for me. Plead that he may bless my farewell labours — 



150 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

that hy these he may sth- uj) an interest in missions. Let our 
voices frequently meet together, praying for each other, and for 
the great work before us. Excuse this hasty scrawl. " 

As we have seen that he had been impressed with the 
idea that the church was not manifesting the self-denial 
on behalf of a world lying in wickedness which she 
ought, his mind was now employed in devising some 
practical measure, for bringing the church to a greater 
measure of liberality. The result was a proposal that 
the large congregation of Stewiacke, now divided into two, 
should undertake his support in the South Seas. We 
subjoin two letters, in which he discusses the subject. 

TO A COUSIN. 

"Feb. 25, 1<S59. But I have another solemn subject on my 
mind. I have given it much thought, and I shall not cease to 
seek counsel from Grod respecting it. I suppose when you hear 
my proposition, you will regard it as enthusiasm — indicating a 
want of sanity. It is this. I am now purposing in my mind to 
]n-opose to that congregation in which I was brought up (which 
is now two) to go out as their missionary, supported by their 
contributions. I am willing to take from my salary £25, ($100) 
leaving me £100, ($400.) This sum might be realized, if each 
member of the two churches would give half a dollar yeai-ly. 
Surely that is not a large sum for each. I am willing to deny 
myself to the amount of £25. Some may think I am foolish 
in making such a proposal, and that I cannot live on £100. But 
I am not making this proposal hurriedly. I have by experience 
found, that I can live on much less than all seem to think ne- 
cessary. If I rightly understand Scripture, we should live a 
life of self-denial here. I also find that if we live in a self-de- 
nying manner, our expenses are wonderfully lessened. I have 
al.T ; found that when we cast ourselves upon Grod, he will care 
for and provide for us. I am not afraid therefore to go forward 
in a good cause, resting upon his protection and support. If he 
feeds the fowls, he will also feed me. 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 157 

"Again, if you as a people should engage in this glorious 
work, do you suppose that Grod would not fulfil his promise to 
you? Matt. iii. 8-13. Only have faith, and you can easily do 
this work. You will also find that what you may fear as a yoke 
will be easy, and his burden light. Yes, and you will find the 
gospel at home sweeter to your own souls. You will realize the 
truth of the Scripture declaration, "It is more blessed to give 
than to receive. ' ' God will bless the preached gospel at home, 
sinners will be converted, Christians will be revived. Kemem- 
ber the gospel is powerless without Grod's blessing. If we sel- 
fishly keep it to ourselves he will not bless it. But if we en- 
deavour to bless others, he will make it a blessing to us. I would 
therefore propose this as your part in the Foreign Mission, and 
that you should contribute to other schemes as formerly. 

" I know that some will be terrified even at this statement. I 
know too that some will ridicule me as an enthusiast. But I 
hope that my only desire is to know God's will. I will therefore 
make this a subject of constant prayer — that I and your people 
may be directed in this matter. He has the hearts of all people 
in his hand. He can give the heart to do this work. He has 
already given them the ability. 

' ' I feel that if I had the people before me, and could thus 
have an opportunity of laying this whole subject before them in 
its Scriptural light, by the blessing of God they would engage 
in it. 

' ' I have written hurriedly, that you may have time to think 
and pray over this before I see you — I hope I shall not be left to 
do anything that is not for God's glory and man's good." 

TO THE REV. ALEX. CAMERON. 

'''Slieet Ilarhor, April 8, 1859. 
• I write you a few lines to make known to you what is now 
weighing heavily upon my mind. It is this : I wish to make 
the following proposition to that congregation (now congrega- 
tions) of which I was forraerly a member, and over a part of 
whicli you preside, viz : to support me as a missionary to the 
South Seas. I would rather take £100 given in this way, than 
14 



158 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

£125 from the whole churcL. ; because then I could look more 
confidently for a blessing upon your people and upon our mis- 
sionary efforts. ' If we devise liberal things, by liberal things 
shall we stand. ' 

' ' Something less than a quarter dollar quarterly from each 
member of the two churches amounts to £100 annually, and not 
quite fourpence (seven cents) from each adherentwould realize the 
same sum. Therefore, although at first thought this proposi- 
tion seems wild and imprudent, yet, upon more serious reflec- 
tion, it appears to be within our reach, and nothing more than 
duty. I ask, how small an amount of self-denial on the part 
of each member and adherent would it require to raise this 
sum? 

' ' Now let us reason thus : millions of heathen are spiritually 
famishing. We should feel that the Lord Jesus has told us to 
supply them with the bread of life. We being thus appointed 
of Grod as an agency to diffuse the gospel through the world, the 
eternal salvation of the heathen then depends upon our sending 
the gospel to them. Should we not, therefore, be as willing to 
devote our lives to sending it as Christ was to devote his life to 
providing it ? This seems to my mind to be a Scriptural view 
of this subject. If, then, we will only refrain from some ex- 
penditures for which taste pleads, and if we will only deny our- 
selves some comforts, we may thus be instrumental in filling 
perishing immortal souls with eternal praise and joy, we our- 
selves would be more happy, and the cause of Grod would pros- 
per more in our midst. If I did not believe this I would not 
make such a proposition. 

"I now write to present this subject before your mind for 
your serious consideration. Do not suppose that I would for a 
moment contemplate making this proposition to your people, 
without first obtaining your assent and approbation. What I 
desire, is your assent to my laying this matter before them 
— that I may hold a meeting in each district, solicit aid from 
each member and adherent, set in operation a system of raising 
and collecting which will call out the whole people, and have 
them to do the whole work. 

■ ' Let me make the effort. If I fail I trust I shall do no harm, 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA 'SCOTIA. 159 

and the disgrace will be upon none but myself. I can bear to 
fail in a good cause. But I believe that if my motives are pure, 
with Grod's blessing I shall succeed. I feel that we are not serv- 
ing Grod according to our ability. We are not denj^ing ourselves 
sufficiently, that we may do good to others. May the good Lord 
guide us in all our undertakings, and to his name be all the 
glory." 

The proposal was not adopted, but there are some in 
the church who have never lost sight of the idea of a 
congregation supporting a missionary, and we believe it 
will not be long till we find two or three congregations 
combining to support a missionary to the heathen, and 
even congregations undertaking the work single handed. 
When that day comes, the credit of originating the idea 
must belong to Samuel Fulton Johnston. 

He attended the meeting of synod in June with much 
anxiety, as he had reason to fear, that opposition might 
yet be raised to his being sent out as a Foreign Missionary. 
The synod approved of the determination of the Board, 
and for some weeks after he was engaged in the visita- 
tion of the congregations of the body, it being then the 
practice, that outgoing missionaries should visit all the 
churches in the connexion, scattered throughout Nova 
Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and even New Bruns- 
wick. Everywhere he received a cordial welcome and 
substantial tokens of sympathy. In the midst of the 
hurry of travelling and constant public meetings, he still 
found time for correspondence, and particularly for the 
expression of his tender affection for his relatives from 
whom he was about to be severed. We subjoin two 
extracts. 



160 * MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

TO HIS MOTHER. 

" Mengomish, July 2, 1859. 

" I suppose we will soon have to part, to meet no more in thia 
vale of tears. I fear you are grieving over this separation. 
This would be wrong. God gave you children that they might 
be employed in his service. It should therefore be your delight 
to see them employed in the way that will do most for his glory 
and the good of perishing souls. It is of small importance 
whether we be together in this world or not. The great object 
is to be usefully employed. But again : I trust it is your wish 
to see your sons happy ; you would not care where they are, 
provided they are truly happy. Now I could not be happy at 
home. I feel that a work has been assigned me, and I could 
not be happy unless employed in that work. I never in my past 
life enjoyed so much true happiness as I have since I have been 
more particularly set apart to this work. Every tie that binds 
me to my native land seems to be sundered. I trust that I love 
my friends as sincerely and deeply as ever I did, but what good 
am I doing them by living with them ? My prayer for them is 
that they may walk in the strait path, and that we may all meet 
in heaven. But while I would wish to meet my friends in hea- 
ven, washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb, I would 
also wish that a multitude of the poor, perishing, benighted 
heathen 11! ay also meet us there. But how can I anticipate 
these joyous meetings unless the means be used ?' I would there- 
fore gladly hasten to these far off and dark lands, to use the 
means that Grod has been pleased to appoint to accomplish this 
end. My only grief, therefore, in parting, is the pain which my 
leaving may give my parents, relatives, and other dear friends. 

"In this life let duty be our great object. Our feelings are 
to be controlled, and through strength derived from on high, 
we are to overcome these, and go forward joyfully to the work 
given us, whatever that may be. You have other children still 
around you. To train these up for Grod is a great work. See 
tiiat you do not grow neglectful or careless in it. ' ' 

Writing to a brother on business, and in a hurrj, he 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 161 

yet finds time for the following expressions of afiection 
and piet J : 

"My brotlier, we shall be together little more in this world. 
Our callings lead us to spheres of labour far apart. I trust that 
God in his providence has pointed out to you the sphere in 
which he would have you serve him. It is truly a pleasant one, 
free from many of the trials, temptations, and harrowing cares 
of many callings to which I might refer. It is a position in 
which, if you are faithful, you may do much good — may do 
much to extend God's cause in our world. What more noble 
object could we live for ? What would it profit to gain great 
riches, to gratify our own feelings, or to live according to our 
own inclinations ? How soon will all these be as though they 
had never been! But let us live for God's glory, and our la- 
bours will bring forth lasting fruit, which will fill our souls with 
joy and peace — far more to be prized than the gold of Ophir, 
or the self-gratification this world and flesh could yield. 

"Be kind to your parents, and you will never repent it, but 
possess a bosom full of peace. Make their declining years soft 
and sweet ; their youth and vigour they have spent for us. It 
would be pleasant and sweet to me, were it my calling, to labour 
to render their last days happy and pleasant. Be kind to your 
brothers and sisters, and you will have a rich reward. Remem- 
ber that their future happiness and usefulness largely depend 
on you. But while yours is a responsible position, it is truly a 
pleasant and enviable one. In ourselves we have no sufficiency, 
but our sufficiency is of God. Go forward then in his strength, 
and you will have eternity to rejoice in over the fruits of your 
labours. And as we are soon to part, let us so live that we may 
meet where parting is unknown. ' ' 

On the 8th of August he was married to Miss Eliza- 
beth O'Brien of Noel, a distant relative of his own, and 
one who proved a help meet for him, in life and in 
death. 

On the 17th of the same month he was ordained at 
14 * 



162 MEMOIR OF S. P. JOHNSTON. 

Stewiacke as a Missionary to the Heathen. The event 
excited deep interest throughout that neighbourhood, 
and in the midst of hay harvest, the large church at the 
upper settlement was densely crowded, some having 
come a distance of forty miles to witness the services. 
The Rev. Dr. Smith, under whose pastorate he had been 
brought up, preached from Psalm ii. 6, and offered up 
the ordination prayer, the Rev. E. Ross gave the charge 
to the young missionary, and the Rev. John J. Baxter, 
addressed the audience. Large and interesting farewell 
meetings were held in Pictou, New Glasgow, Noel, Hali- 
fax and other places and on the 8th Nov. he set • sail 
for Boston. During his travelling through the church 
his diary was generally neglected, but we find a few 
items during this period, and should any of our readers 
complain that we have occupied too much space with them 
we are sorry to have to inform them, that we shall have 
scarcely any more of these private breathings of his soul to 
give them. 

' ' June 3. This day commemorated the death of my Lord. I 
notice the following : It was under the Rev. J. Watson's minis- 
try I first joined the church ; and now, the first time I have had 
of attending to this duty since I was licensed, and the first time 
I have assisted at the solemn service of communion, is with him. 
I see God's finger in this. Oh! what I have enjoyed to-daj^^ — • 
delight in meditating upon Christ's death-^on my vileness and 
need of Christ — desires to be like God — the Saviour more pre- 
cious than ever before. Had more deep and earnest longings to 
serve him. 

"Aug. 3. Once more at my home. I have for two months 
been engaged in farewell visitation of the congregations. 
Through what trjdng and responsible scenes and duties I have 
passed ! i had little opportunity for noting down my feelings 
and incidents in my journal during this time. These must all 



LICENSURE AND LABOURS IN NOVA SCOTIA. 163 

sink into oblivion. But they are all recorded in the book of 
eternal remembrance. Now once more clouds and bamers are 
rising up before me. Lord, I look to thee that thou wilt dis- 
pel these ! I feel that life has lost all its charms if I am kept 
from the heathen. 

" 4. Oh, that I could get a realizing view of divine things and 
duty ! I am now about to change my relation in life. How 
mercifully have I been preserved until the present ! and now 
that I am about to enter upon the marriage relation, God 
grant me grace to serve thee more faithfully in that relation than 
ever I have done heretofore "! Remember that it is a relation of 
thine own merciful and good arrangement. Therefore, in thy 
tender love smile upon us as we enter into it. May we feel thy 
presence near, and act under the influence of thy Spirit. May 
our souls unitedl}^ burn with zeal for thy glory, and glow with 
sympathy for the perishing. May we go forward hand in hand, 
heart in heart in thy service. Save us from our sins and in- 
firmities. May we be strong in Christ, together serving thee in 
hfe, and at death going to thee, where we may ever be together. 

" 6. This day leaving home to attend to the duty referred to 
in the preceding page. This morning had much enlargement 
in prayer — longing for the coming of Christ's kingdom, and ear- 
nestly seeking Grod's blessing upon the relationship into which 
I am about to enter. I feel that Grod will hear. Was melted 
to tears. 

"7. Sabbath. Day long to be remembered. Had deep and 
earnest longings for the conversionof sinners. At times I could 
do nothing but weep and sob. My whole soul was distressed — 
had large views of my position and responsibilities. Prayed 
much, and had much enlargement in the pulpit. 

" 8. This day entered into the marriage relation. Ere doing 
so, with her I took a walk through those groves where in child- 
hood she was wont to wander in solitude. Coming to her bower, 
we alone, hand in hand, kneeled down and poured out our souls 
in prayer to Grod. It was the first time we had prayed together. 
It was a great struggle to kneel down alone. Had a great in- 
ward conflict with self and Satan, but at last overcame. And 
oh, how I rejoice in that victory ! If I had then failed, I know 



164 MEMOIR OF S. P. JOHNSTON. 

not what would have been the result ; felt that it was most im- 
portant that we should pray at that time. 

"Sept. 29. Held a farewell meeting at New Grlasgow. How 
little of the presence and power of the Spirit I realized ! yet I 
was not wholly deserted, and was enabled to speak with some 
measure of earnestness and fluency. Audience attentive. 

' ' Oct. 27. Held a farewell meeting in Noel. Felt more solemn 
than usual. Could feel that every thing around me was passing 
away, and that a great change would soon come over us all. 
Spoke earnestly and solemnly. 

"28. Took farewell of our friends in Noel. In the morning 
retired to an old bower, and there, hand in hand, kneeled down 
and sought strength for the duties and trials of the day, both 
for ourselves and others — sought fitness for the work, direction, 
protection. We then returned to the house, and in a few hours 
bade farewell to the dearest objects on earth. Our feelings on 
that occasion we can never forget. 

" Nov. 1. Held our farewell meeting in Upper Stewiacke. I 
had long looked forward to this meeting with deep and anxious 
concern. Many prayers I had offered up for a special outpour- 
ing of the Spirit on that part of the church. 

' ' 4. Left home. A few hours before I was to take a last 
farewell of those dearest to me on earth I felt oppressed. I felt 
a weight unsupportable, and felt that I could not do it. I re- 
tired alone and visited the scenes of early days, where* my bro- 
ther and I had sported in childhood, and where I had laboured 
many days and years. A melancholy gloom lay over the whole, 
and I bent the knee and poured out my soul to Grod, and had 
much freedom and earnestness. Grod comforted me. Went 
home, and comfortably bade farewell to all. I received great 
support on that occasion. It was a solemn moment, which I 
shall never forget. ' ' 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. 165 



CHAPTER YIII. 

FMOM NOVA SCOTIA TO MJSLBOUItNE. 

Mr. and Mrs. Johnston sailed from Halifax on the 
8th November, and reached Boston on the 11th, after a 
pleasant passage. He was detained in the United 
States about three weeks. His correspondence will 
show how he was employed during this time. 

■ TO HIS parents. 

''New York, Nov. 16, 1859. 

'' I think the last hours I spent at home were the happiest I 
ever spent. True it was painful to me to reflect that I would 
see you in the flesh no more- It was painful to bid farewell to 
the scenes I love so well. But the thought that all was in the 
hands of the all-wise Disposer comforted me, and filled my heart 
with gladness. What good could I do for you or my native 
land by remaining at home? Though loving you all, I could 
therefore cheerfully leave you all — leaving you in the keeping 
of the Father of mercies. Now, though far away, yet my pray- 
.ers can avail as much at the throne of grace, as if I were with 
you. 

"After several clays' hard labour with the mission goods, tired 
and worn out, we sailed from Halifax. My feelings on leaving 
I shall never forget. I felt that every tie was sundered — that I 
was alone without friend or counsellor — that the interests of the 
mission rested on me. But I was enabled to look to the God of 
missions and ' the friend that sticketh closer than a brother. ' 



166 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

The thought of his always being present with us filled me with 
comfort, and I resolved to go forward in his strength. 

"The passage upon the whole was quite pleasant. Bessie 
was not very sick, and when in her berth was quite comfortable. 
I trust your prayers have been heard, for we both feel that it 
must have been in answer to prayer that^he has been preserved 
from sickness, which heretofore she always experienced. I 
think you need not be anxious about her any longer. Only give 
her your prayers. We arrived in Boston on Friday and lodged 
with Mr. Blaikie. I preached for him on Sabbath to an atten- 
tive audience. 

"I was busily engaged with the mission interests until Mon- 
day night. I made all arrangements for our passage to Mel- 
bourne. These interests attended to, on Monday evening we 
left for New York. I now endeavoured to throw off the burden 
of care and anxiety respecting the mission goods, &c., which 
had been weighing upon my mind from the time I left home. 
The next morning we arrived safely at New York. 

"We daily attend Fulton Street Prayer Meeting. It is truly 
refreshing to our souls to be present where such earnest prayers 
are offered up. It is full every day. But you must not sup- 
pose that the revival here is making any visible impression upon 
the city. No, mammon is the great god worshipped by the 
masses. To-morrow night I expect to leave this place for Sche- 
nectady. 

"And now, dear parents, do not grieve for us. We 
are happy. We do not feel separation as much as we ex- 
pected. To be employed is our happiness. We only ask your 
prayers for us. We need these. It is our happiness to pray 
together. If it were not for prayer we would sink. But we feel 
that our prayers have been heard, and trust they will be heard. 
We can see the good hand of Grod with us all the way until now. 
He has been very kind to us. Many are the mercies and kind- 
nesses we have been daily receiving from him, and we would not 
doubt that he will continue to bless and do us good. We hope 
you do not mourn for us. If you have any grief, let it be for a 
heathen world. Pray without ceasing. ' ' 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. IGT 



TO HIS PARENTS. 

" Schenectady, Nov. 25, 1859. 

" I will devote a few minutes to writing to you to-day. Af- 
ter leaving New York we came to Schenectady, where we have 
been one week. We are waiting till the vessel will be ready to 
sail. We received a note from Boston yesterday, telling us that 
she would sail on the first day of December. So we will leave 
this on Monday. I am wearj' waiting so long. My desire is to 
be on my way to the scene of future labours. During my stay 
here I have had time to rest, and also good opportunities of im- 
provement. But these have glided away, and I fear little good 
has resulted from them. However, I have written a great 
many letters to different parts of the church. 

"And now, dear parents and brothers and sisters, I would 
not go home again. True, home and every association connected 
with it are dear to me, and when I reflect upon them, my very 
heart yearns over them. But these things are fading — fast pass- 
ing away, and will soon be in the tomb of oblivion. Why then 
should, I cling to them? Again I see before me a great and glo- 
rious work — a work in which angels would gladly engage — a 
work whose results will live in the eternal ages. What should 
keep me back from such a work? Should love to friends or to 
home? Surely not. I would leave all these in the care of a 
covenant-keeping Grod, and hasten forward to the work before 
me. No. I would not be much troubled about separation. 
The work, its responsibilities and results, let these fill my mind. 
If you at home are only employed in the service of God, it is 
little concern to me whether we meet on earth again or not. 
This is every thing. Remember, if we would thus live we must 
be frequent and earnest in prayer, and our Bibles must be our 
daily companions. Oh, I fear the study of the Bible is too 
much neglected by all in the present age ! I often, ofteji think 
how much Scripture my little brothers might be getting, if 
there were only a little care and pains taken with them. It 
would hereafter be to them a greater treasure than thousands 
of silver and gold. 

"And now we go from you. Dangers, trials, temptations, 



168 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

discouragements are witliin and on every side. But none of these 
things move us. We would go forward, looking to the pro- 
mise, that he will be with us always. We have much reason to 
believe, that he has been with us so far. " . 

TO THE REV. JAMES BAYNE, SECRETARY BOARD OF FOREIGN 

MISSIONS. 

Schenectady, Nov. 27, 1859. 

' ' In writing to you, I feel as if I were writing to the whole 
Church, and to my many kind and dear friends whom I have 
left behind me in Nova Scotia. I suppose I cannot do better 
than to give you some of the feelings and thoughts which passed 
through my mind when leaving the scenes of my nativity. As 
the steamer glided slowly and gently from her moorings, and 
the waters widened between us and the shores of our native 
land, our dear friends on the wharf fading from our view, my 
heart sank within me, and my affections clung to the land of my 
birth. I felt that counsellor, sympathizer, and friends were all 
cut off from me now. The work in all its greatness, with all its 
difficulties and responsibility, rose up before me, A sense of 
unfitness, weakness, and nothingness weighed heavily upon me. 
I felt alone, and that upon me rested all the responsibility of 
this great and heavenly enterprise. My past labours loomed up 
before my mind. Then, my imperfections, my infirmities, 
errors, and follies, rose up vividly before me. The associations 
of childhood and the attachments of home, murmured in the 
deep recesses of my bosom for an utterance. My thought 
glided into the future, and as I stood and looked to the past, and 
cast a glance to the future, earth and all its possessions appeared 
to be a fleeting shadow. All my past life seemed to be a va- 
pour. In the past, there was nothing on which the eye could 
rest that was lasting, except what had been done for the glory 
of Grod. Upon that only could the eye rest with pleasure. All 
else was vanity, and shall vanish away. Time to come rolled in 
upon my mind. In it I beheld the tomb of everything earthly. 
Then, mirth, sensuality, the pride of life, the lusts of the flesh 
find their eternal oblivion. 

" Then the libertine, the devotee of fashion, the lover of plea- 



FROM XOVA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. 169 

sure, and the worshipper of mammon, have to part with every- 
thing thej' love, everj'thing upon which their hearts are set, and 
after which their flesh hists. Then, the mighty, the rich, the 
wise, the merry, the weak, the poor, and the mourner, become 
aHke. Then, mighty empires and magnificent and opulent 
cities pass away and moulder to dust. 

"As I was thus musing, my native land was receding from 
my view. But affections still clung there. I could not part 
with the land that gave me birth, where lay the scenes of my 
childhood, and all the dear and fondly-cherished associations of 
my past life, without a pang. As she disappeared, my soul 
breathed out a prayer that Grod would bless her, and evermore 
cause peace and prosperity to dwell within her borders. 

"The mantle of darkness now cast itself over the deep, and 
concealed from our view the land we love to call our own. We 
paced the deck in solemn thought, unknown, uncared for, mu- 
sing upon the events of the day, and the scenes through which 
we had lately passed. All seemed like a dream. We could not 
realize that we were separated for a time, from all near and dear 
to us. 

" Mj'^ thoughts then turned to myself, and I more than ever 
realized my unfitness, nothingness, and the responsible character 
of the work in which I am engaged. I felt the work to be 
great, and myself weak and alone. But Grod is pleased to ad- 
vance his cause on earth through low, foolish, and despised 
things. We have on heaven's authority, that the Church is to 
extend her boundaries through such an agency. Hence, in ac- 
cordance with his way of working, we trust he has called us, 
weak, base, and despised as we are, to this great and all import- 
ant work. We would, therefore, go forward trusting in his aid, 
guidance and blessing. We go, too, sent by you, to do the work 
Christ has entrusted to you as his people. Y/e, therefore, go, 
trusting that you who remain at home will hold up our hands 
hy your earnest, united prayers. If you forget to praj^ for us, 
we shall accomplish but little for Grod's glory and the good of 
poor, dying souls. If you cease to pray for us, you indicate 
that you have little gratitude for your blessings and privileges, 
little sympathy for a sin-sickened, perishing world, and little 
15 



170 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

zeal for the promotion of your Redeemer's glory. Oh, brethren, 
cease not to pray for us ! Remember the perishing. With such 
thoughts as these, we kneeled down together, committed our- 
selves, the cause, our friends, and the Church to God's love, and 
then retired to rest. 

"A wide, stormy and boisterous ocean lies before us. Over it 
we have to pass. But we go trusting that He' who holds the 
winds in his fists and the deep in the hollow of his hand, will 
protect and bring us safely to the dark isles of the sea. Then 
may he dwell with us, and through us promote his glory, and to 
his name be the glory. Let this be our united prayer. 

' ' And now, dear father and beloved Christian friends, fare- 
well, a long farewell. May you live in peace, and in the active 
service of Grod until j'^ou are called from time to the awful and 
solemn realities of the unseen world. Then may we all meet in 
the better and happier world where separation is for ever un- 
known, and all is purity, joy, love, and happiness. Farewell, 
farewell. ' ' 

On the 1st December he sailed from Boston for Mel- 
bourne in the ship Herbert. The leisure of so long a 
voyage afforded him opportunity for thought and time 
for the use of his pen. We can however only give some 
portions of his account of the voyage and meditations 
during it, written in the form of a journal to his friends, 
" some of the time the ship rolling so that he could not 
stand still." 

"Dec. 1, 1839. We embarked on board the ship Herbert, in 
the .port of Boston. Religious exercises were conducted ^on 
board by the Rev. A, Blaikie, amidst much confasion. In a 
few minutes after the command, " all on shore who do not go in 
the ship," resounded fore and aft. Friends parted. The tug- 
boat began to ply her wheels, and soon the shore began to re- 
cede from our view. The wind being favourable, when the boat 
left us we made no halt, but glided on our way. 

"It was with peculiar feelings that we viewed the receding 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. 171 

j^hvoies of the North American Continent — the land of Uberty, 
the home of the pilgrim, the asylum of the oppressed. We are 
to see thee no more! Farewell, then^ native land. May the 
great God ever continue to bless thee. While the natural sun 
continues to shine upon thy rocks, streams, vales, and templed 
hills, may ' the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his 
wings,' and shine upon thy sons and daughters, diffusing into 
their souls those graces which constitute that 'fulness which 
dwells in Christ bodily.' May the King that reigns on Salem's 
towers ever reign in thy cities, towns, villages, and rural scenes 
— may he be revered and adored in thy Legislative Halls, in thy 
courts of justice ; and wherever thy people meet, may his gra- 
cious presence be sought and his power felt. May his gracious 
Spirit and blessed word mould the character of thy civil in- 
stitutions, social customs, and religious ordinances. Oh may the 
good Spirit animate thy masses with his quickening, life-giving 
influences ! May the great Parent of the universe prosper thee 
in all thy secular interests, rebuke the devourer, stay the pesti- 
lence, check the blast, and make thee a delightsome land, while 
sun and moon continue to shine upon thy vales, hills, and streams. 
"Farewell, dear friends, we woif? more than ever realize that 
we shall see your faces no more in the flesh. Oh ! that we could 
extend our arms across the mighty deep, and give our friends in 
Cape Breton, Prince Edward's Island, and Nova Scotia a warm 
shake of the hand as an expression of our feelings of gratitude 
and afiection. But this we cannot do. Farewell, then, for time. 
We shall not, we cannot forget your kindness — jou in whose 
dwellings our weary, pilgrimed bodies have found sweet rest and 
shelter ; you at whose tables we have been refreshed ; you from 
whom we have received kind words of sympathy, encouragement, 
and counsel ; you who have done so much to forward us in our 
work. May He who rewards a cup of cold water given in his 
name, richly reward and bless you, and make you more and more 
value the consolations of that gospel, which you are labouring 
to disseminate through the world. Farewell, reverend fathers, 
who stand. at the holy altars and minister in sacred things, and 
upon whom the prosperity and happiness of our native land, 
under God depend. May you all be mightily stii-red up to take 



172 MEMOIR OF S. ^. JOHNSTON. 

hold upon 3"oiir Maf^ter's name and to give him no peace, day 
nor night; until he has established Jerusalem and made her a 
praise in all the earth. Dear friends, as your lines have fallen 
to you in pleasant places, and you have a goodly heritage, may 
a sense of gratitude to Him whose hand has provided those rich 
blessings for you, arouse you to unwearied efforts to bestow these 
same privileges upon the poor, perishing, benighted nations of 
earth. In this noble work you will be happy and blessed — Grod 
will smile upon you — angels rejoice, and in songs celebrate your 
labours of love, in the celestial mansions. But above all, you 
will thus be found following the steps of your Divine Redeemer, 
whose greatest joy and delight was to search out and confer bless- 
ings upon the wretched, sinful, suffering sons and daughters of 
earth. Dear friends, do not cease to pray for us. Remember, 
Grod chooses weak and base things to carry forward his purposes 
on earth. Hence, though we be weakness and nothingness, yet 
if you continue to uphold us by your earnest prayers, he will by 
us accomplish results that will fill your hearts with gladness and 
bring glory to Grod in the highest heavens. 

" Land is now fading in the distance, and we must now say a 
long last farewell to country and friends. May the Father of 
mercies and the Grod of all grace make you perfect, stablish, 
strengthen, and preserve you blameless unto the coming of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. JF'are ye well. 

"Thursday, 15. 25° N. Lat. Thermometer 74° in the shade. 
Upon the whole the winds have been very favourable, and we 
have made good progress. We have most of the time been suf- 
fering from sea-sickness. . Though not nearly so sick as some of 
the passengers, we have been unable to read or even to reflect. 
To-day, feel quite well, for the first time since we came on board. 
We are now becoming quite accustomed to the motions of the 
ship. It may not be amiss to say a few words about our present 
hyme. 

" Our ship measures about 1,400 tons, but she is not designed 
for carrying passengers. Her cabin is very small. She has few 
state-rooms, and these are small. But she is said to be a strong, 
safe vessel. Her cargo consists mostly of lumber and other light 
stuff, as buckets, tubs, &c. The Captain, (Mr. Bangs) and 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. 173 

Other officers appear to be kind and obliging. They are very 
kind and easy with their men. There is no cursing, kicking, or 
abusing of the men, as I have seen in other vessels. But I see 
nothing to indicate that any of the men are under the influence 
of and guided by religious feelings and principles. There is no 
real holy respect or fear of Grod before their eyes. They live 
for themselves, and as if all they are and enjoy were their own. 
It is sad to see how dead to a sense of gratitude the human 
heart is, naturally. In the first cabin we have, including our- 
selves, 17 passengers. Ten of these are from Yarmouth, Nova 
Scotia. In the second cabin, there are 18, seven of them from 
Nova Scotia. So we have on board, in all, 19 Nova Scotians. 
Excepting ourselves, these are all for the gold regions, Australia. 
The sailors and officers, all are about 20 ; so we have on board 
about 50 souls. This you will naturally conclude offers to us 
quite a field of usefulness. But I will say more about this 
hereafter. 

" Our Httle room is 7 feet by 6 feet 7 inches. In this small 
space we have our bed, washing apparatus, clothing, books, and 
all other articles we will require on a voyage to continue for some 
months. Were some of our friends who have rooms furnished 
with every convenience, comfort, and richly glittering with the 
ornamental, confined to a room of such limited dimensions for 
some months, they would know how to appreciate their present 
homes and feel more grateful to Him who has provided such 
commodious, comfortable earthly mansions for them. In this 
little closet we spend most of our time. The cabin is so small 
and has so many occupants, that we do little in it with any de- 
gree of comfort or satisfaction to ourselves. But we have rea- 
son to be thankful, that our room occupies the most comfortable 
and airy position in the ship. For this we have great reason to 
be thankful. The room was not our choice. Hence we must 
regard it as a gift of Providence. There is not another room in 
the vessel in which we could spend our time in the various ex- 
ercises in which we are engaged, with any degree of comfort. 
May we have grace given us, wisely and faithfully to improve 
what we have received from the Author of every good and per- 
fect gift. Have great reason to be thankful that we are making 
15* 



174 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

sucli good progress. Oh may favouring breezes continue to 
hasten us on our way to the dark isles of the sea! Time is pass- 
ing away, and nothing worthy of notice occurring. We are now 
experiencing the monotony of a hfe at sea. No storms, no 
birds, no fish to be seen ; nothing but the mighty ocean to be 
seen on every side. 

"Thursday, 22. To-day is three weeks since we came on board. 
Thermometer 75°, — just warm enough. While we are basking 
in the sun, I suppose that you in Nova Scotia are crowding 
round your fires with your toes between the dog-irons, and sleep- 
ing rolled up in blankets, scarcely venturing to poke your noses 
out for fear of Jack Frost. We have almost forgotten the old 
gentleman, and I suppose will never see him again. If this was 
the only old acquaintance that we do not expect to see again, 
our grief would be easily borne. 

" Saturday, 24. Winds brisk, making good progress. Cooling 
northerly winds moderate the heat, and are quite refreshing. 
We now see large numbers of flying fish. They are about the 
size of a smelt, not so long, but thicker, back dark, belly white. 
They fly from one to three or four rods, but generally not more 
than one or two. They look like our swallows. Sometimes you 
will see a dozen or two rise out of the water at once. When 
some distance off" you could not distinguish them from a flock of 
birds. They dart along a little above the surface of the water, 
and in their actions much resemble swallows. 

"Monday, 26. Lat. 9° N., Long. 28° 30^ W. Yesterday was 
Christmas. Never spent so warm a Christmas. I was wonder- 
ing how you were feeling at home — if you have sleighing. 

" I wish you could just take a peep in and see us to-day — doors 
and windows wide open, — ^light clothing on — little children run- 
ning about in their bare feet — the tropical rays of the sun pour- 
ing down upon us. Some are lolling about, some reading, some 
talking nonsense, some sleeping, some writing, some few work- 
ing, some full of merriment. We are in our little room alone 
among many, endeavouring to spend our time profitably, read- 
ing, questioning, instructing each other, writing, &c. We go to 
bed about 9 o'clock and rise about 5 J or 6 o'clock. Time flies 
rapidly. We do not feel it long. The weeks seem short, andi 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. 175 1 1 

when one comes to an end we scarcely know where it is gone. 
Such is the manner in which our time is passing day after day. 
There is much sameness in our Hfe, so this may serve you to 
give you an idea as to how we spend our time, and what tran- 
spires around us. 

"Thursday, 29. Lat. 5° N., Long. 26° W. Thermometer 
81°. We have now got beyond the north-east trade winds, and are 
in the latitude where calms, or tornadoes, or unsteady winds 
prevail. We have as yet been always making a little headway, 
though at times our progress has been very slow. We have 
sudden, short, and frequent' showers. These will come up with 
only a few minutes warning. The sky will be quite clear, and 
in a few minutes it will be raining in torrents. The atmosphere 
is heated, but we have pleasant, cooling breezes, and the showers 
of rain are also cooling. I do not suffer from the heat, but en- 
joy the climate very much. I would much prefer it to the wea- 
ther you now have in Nova Scotia, I believe I shall stand the 
heat very well. Bessie complains some, and says she would ra- 
ther have some of your cold, pinching winds and driving snow- 
storms than so much heat. But still she does not suffer, or ex- 
perience much inconvenience. What we feel most is the warm 
nights. In Nova Scotia, when you have a hot day, you will get 
a cooling at night. But it is not so here. The nights are all 
warm, nearly as much so as the days, and so you know nothing 
about the heat. 

"Saturday, 31. We are almost at the equator. The day is 
cool and pleasant. Thermometer 77°. We have now been 
thirty days at sea. Our progress is considered good. We are 
in the south-east trade winds, having reached them sooner than 
we expected, I hope, therefore, that we will not be detained 
here any time. We have had a most pleasant voyage so far, no 
storm, little head wind, not much calm. Oh may we ever re- 
member that these are from the G-iver of all good ! May He 
continue to prosper our way. It is a lovely day, the last of the 
year. How many who saw the first are now sleeping in the si- 
lent tomb. Still we live. May we reijj ember that life is given 
us to serve G-od not self. Life is only a blessing when it is ecu- 



176 MEMOIR OF S. *F. JOHNSTON. 

secrated to God's service. May ours be thus employed, and his 
sliall be tbe praise. 

" Monday, January 2, 1860. Soutb latitude 1°38^; 28° 55^ 
west longitude. Another year, with all its toils, trials, disap- 
pointments, joys, and pleasures is no more — no more for ever. 
To us it had been one of the most eventful through which we 
have passed. We rejoice in its toils and trials, but we tremble 
as we contemplate the position in which it has placed us. The 
decision of the past year is hastening us from that land we love 
to call our native country, to the scenes where we hope to spend 
the rest of our probation on earth. There we are either to 
bring the frowns of the Divine countenance upon us through 
our unfaithfulness, and the disgrace we shall bring upon his 
name and cause, or we shall gain the approbation of Heaven by 
being instrumental in dispelling moral darkness, destroying the 
strongholds of Satan's dominions, and giving liberty to sin-bound 
souls, and eternal joy to those who are on the brink of eternal 
woe. In the position in which the past year has placed us, 
when viewed in the light of Grod's glory and the happiness of 
immortal spirits here and hereafter, there is much, very much, 
to impress the mind, and to awaken in the bosom the deepest 
solicitude as to the result. May He whose cause we are going 
to advance, ever keep before our minds just and large views of 
the relation we sustain to his glory and this poor, suffering, 
dying world. And now in entering upon a new year, we would 
anew consecrate ourselves to the service of our Master, and sup- 
plicate the Hearer of prayer, that we may experience his power, 
enjoy the smiles of his countenance, follow in the steps of his 
dear Son, and keep what has been entrusted to us ' by the Holy 
Grhost dwelling in us, ' during the year that is now before us. 

" Saturday night, just as the old year expired, we crossed the 
Equator, rather an uncommon coincidence. We had quite a 
merry time. I doubt not, but the new year received quite as 
hearty and cheery a welcome from our little home on the deep, 
as it received from your towns and villages. We had fifing, 
fiddling, dancing, orations — some splendid pieces well performed, 
— senatorial, comic, aboriginal, and pathetic pieces, dialogues, 
songs, &c. They continued these amusements until midnight. 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. 177 

when with three cheers for the new year, and three for the cap- 
tain and mate, they wound up the whole proceedings, and re- 
tired to rest. How dark and ungrateful is the carnal mind ! 
What a return for Divine favour and goodness during the past 
year ; and what preparation for the year coming ! It was pain- 
ful to us to see the evening — so calculated to awaken serious re- 
flections, and to call to devotional exercises spent in such a vain, 
sinful manner. But we had no control over these lovers of plea- 
sure. All that was in our power, was to mourn over their folly, 
and to pray that He would look down in mercy upon those who 
appear to have no sense of Divine goodness, preservation and 
justice. 

"Mondaj^, 9. South latitude 20° 38^ Fine gales. Sun's al- 
titude at noon 90°. So we are now under the vertical- rays of a 
tropical sun. It appears strange to us, who have lived in high 
latitudes, to see men walking the decks in the clear sun and yet 
making no shadow. 

" Yesterday was a most lovely day, calm and clear. We had 
preaching for the first time. We had quite a comfortable place 
prepared for the occasion on deck. It was quite a strange scene 
to me. We had no temple made by hands, but the thought 
that He whom we worshipped dwells not in temples made by 
hands, was most comforting to me, as I engaged for the first 
time in such services in the open air or on the mighty deep. It 
called to my mind the farewell address we received at Noel. 
Our Nova Scotia passengers, and most of the first cabin passen- 
gers, and some few of the sailors, seated themselves around me. 
But many being Catholics, would not come near, but some stood 
ofi" where they could hear most that was said, and seemed to 
pay great attention. It may be that Grod will bless some truth 
uttered to their souls. 

' ' Yesterday we saw a water spouf at some distance. It was 
a most splendid one, and came with great rapidity, directly for 
our ship. As there was scarce a breath of wind, the officers 
were becoming quite uneasy. But, happily, ere it reached us it 
broke, dispelling our fears. 

" Tuesday, 10. Crossed the Tropic of Capricorn. We are now 
in the South Temperate Zone. We have now got beyond and 



178 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

safely thro ugh that region which we so much dreaded, on ac- 
count of the excessive he!it we expected to experience within 
tropics. But we have suffered comparatively little from heat. 

"Thursday, 12. Latitude south 28° 36^ longitude west 30°. 
We have now been six weeks at sea. How much of the good- 
ness, and mercy, and forbearance of our heavenly Father have 
we experienced. Oh may he awaken in our hearts deep, sin- 
cere, and corresponding gratitude to him ! Our progress is 
much greater than we could expect, our health very good, our 
comforts many, our opportunities for improvement favourable. 
May all these blessings be coming to us in covenant love. 
Apart from his love I would not desire them. Without Divine 
love they are to be dreaded as curses, frowns, and snares. We 
have been favoured with the south-east trade winds for some 
time. For weeks scarcely moved a sail. If I were a sailor I 
would surely avoid coasting vessels, and seek employment in 
those* bound for foreign ports. But we see the wisdom of Grod, 
in the varied constitutions with which he has endowed men, 
which lead them to enter into various situations in life. 

" Our ship seems to me like a little village. On all sides we 
see men, women, and children amusing themselves in various 
ways, singing, talking, laughing, walking, playing draughts. 
Can you conceive of a summer evening in the middle of January? 
If so you can notice what we are now experiencing. 

"Friday, 13. Light breezes and pleasant. To-day signalized 
a ship which we had been pursuing for two days. We ascer- 
tained that she was the ship Martha from New York, bound for 
Australia, which left seven days before us. As the captain and 
mate were intimate friends of our captain and mate, they hove 
to, till we came up, and then came on board and remained with 
us the afternoon. Having been on board for over six weeks, 
seeing no persons but ourselves, you would be astonished to see 
what a sensation the appearance of the strangers in our midst 
created — something similar to what you can imagine would occur 
should some of the sons of the moon visit our earth. I felt 
disposed to view them closely to see if they were really like our- 
selves. 

"Sabbath, 15. Had preaching on board. More present than 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. 179 

last daj^ All orderl}' and attentive. What the result of these 
poor efforts shall be, time only can disclose. The day was lovely. 
I cannot describe my feelings as I joined in songs of praise on 
the mighty deep. 

" Wednesday, 18. We can notice quite a change in the tem- 
perature. We see a number of birds — "Mother Carey's 
chickens" — and sea hens. The latter are about the size of a 
spruce partridge, but the wings are longer and broader, of a 
dark brown colour. They are busy fishing them up with hook 

and line. I suppose that J would like the sport of fishing 

bii'ds, as he fishes trout. 

''Monday, 23. Almost calm, weather cool and comfortable. 
Fished two birds to-day, Albatrosses. They are only found in 
the latitude of the Cape. Those taken to-day are small. One 
measured between the tips of his wings seven feet, and yet it 
would not weigh twelve pounds. It is web-footed, but has only 
three toes, and nothing corresponding to the thumb which is 
found in other birds. Its back is of a dark brown colour, and 
belly white, has a pretty head, and charming black eyes, which 
always give heauty* Its bill bears some resemblance to that of 
a goose, but is longer, and a little turned down at the extremity. 
It spends most of its time on the wing, and when there is a 
strong breeze will wheel round to every point of the compass 
without flapping its wings, but just giving them a slight cant. It 
is wonderful to see them sailing in this manner against the wind. 
To appearance they remain on the wing as easily as you sit upon 
your chair. It was brought upon deck without receiving any 
injury, but still it could not rise from the floor and escape. They 
can only rise from the water, and it is doubtful if they can rise 
from the water on a calm day, It was most curious to see the 
composed and old-fashioned way it stepped round among us. 

" Saturday, 28. Lon. E. 2° 4r, Lat. S. 37° 16^ We find the 
weather much cooler than we would expect at this season of the 
year, in this latitude. The thermometer stands night and day 
between 60 and 70 degrees. This in Nova Scotia would be con- 
sidered very pleasant weather. But having for some time ex- 
perienced constant heat night and day, we do not enjoy so low 

* A humourous allusion to his own eyes, which were very dark. 



180 MEMOIR OF S. P. JOHNSTON. 

a temperature as we would once have done. The soutli winds, 
which we had ever been accustomed to regard as the most plea- 
sant and warm of all the breezes that swept over our globe, we 
find cool and chilling — rather cool to be pleasant ; while the 
north winds, hitherto so dreaded on account of their chilliness 
and piercing cold, are now warm and delightful. Time is glid- 
ing SLWuy rapidlj^ and pleasantlj^ A large portion of our time is 
spent in reading. My reading consists of history. Ecclesiastical 
and Secular, Theology, Astronomy, Travels, Poetry, Biography, 
and treatises on various religious subjects. I am thus endea- 
vouring to improve the present in making some compensation 
for my want of acquaintance with those who only live in the 
present by the productions of their pens. When for months we 
have our abode out on the solitary ocean, we then begin to real- 
ize the worth of books, the inestimable value of the press. Down 
upon the mighty deep, in our wooden home unceasingly rocking 
from side to side, shut oiit from all intercourse with the busy 
world, no associate who will edify and elevate the mind, — in such 
circumstances how pleasant to peruse the pages of some volume 
containing the thoughts and feelings of some great and learned 
mind ! Here you may associate with the best, greatest, wisest, 
and most learned men that have ever lived in our world. 

' ' Thus our time is passing away most pleasantly while we are 
cut off from friends, society, and from that active life which had 
been our lot up to the eve of our embarkation. We regard it 
as a great favour to have it in our power to devote so much time 
to reading. Our constant prayer is that, through the Divine 
blessing, the hours thus spent may increase our usefulness in 
the foreign field. We do not feel the time long. I believe it 
matters little where a person is, if he is only actually employed, 
time will not hang heavil}^ upon his hands. But let a man be 
unemployed, it matters little where he is, it may be amidst 
riches, honours, splendour-, and still time passes by heavily — he 
is constantly devising means to ' kill time. ' 

"Sat. 11. We are now about 4000 miles from Melbourne. 
This to you will appear to be a long distance, but to us who have 
come so far, it seems quite short, and we feel as if we were al- 
most there. As our supply of water is becoming small, we are 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. 181 

becoming more anxious. When we have so many passengers 
and a small quantity of water, a few days is a matter of great 
importance. May He who has so kindly preserved and provided 
for our wants, still continue his goodness towards us, until we 
reach our desired haven. 

"Mon. 13. We are still favoured with fine breezes. Averag- 
ing about eight miles an hour. The wind fair and the sea being 
smooth, our ship glides along as smoothly as though she were 
lying at anchor. It is now a long time since the soles of our feet 
have rested upon the dry land, and our eyes been cheered by the 
varied beauties of land scenery. 

' ' But we have not found a life at sea, so monotonous as one 
would imagine. Among the many things which have interested, 
amused and awakened deep and pleasing emotions in our bo- 
soms, I m.2ij mention the setting sun. Had I the power to do 
with words what the skilled artist so admirably executes with 
his pencil, I would present to your mind's eye, for your admira- 
tion, this most magnificent scene. It far surpasses anj^thing of 
the kind that I have ever seen at home. The sun, as he gently 
sinks in the ' far West, ' increases in apparent size and bright- 
ness. His rays then begin to tinge the clouds floating in the 
atmosphere. Ai'ound him we have the rich golden hue, and 
passing from the more immediate rays, we have every possible 
variety of colours and shades of colours presented to our view. 
Far on the right and left, clouds protected from the sun's rays, 
rise in black dismal columns, one above the other, giving an aw- 
ful, yet sublime grandeur to the whole scene. Over head, the 
beautiful waved cloudy painting, with pleasing and mild gran- 
deur recedes far in the distance — far surpassing in mild and 
pleasing richness and beauty any colours that glow on canvass. 
Thus in a few minutes, the sun has erected a glorious temple for 
the Grod of nature, before which the most noble, rich and gor- 
geous temple or edifice that has ever been piled up upon earth, 
sinks into utter insignificance. Who would not adore, admire, 
and reverence the great G-od who has given the elements of na- 
ture fixed laws, by which in a few minutes, they present to the 
eye a scene of such matchless grandeur and sublimity ? G-od 
has " set a tabei-nacle for the sun," and that tabernacle the sun 
16 



182 MEMOIR OF R. F. JOHNSTON. 

frequently adorns with a beauty and splendour which the soul 
admires ; and fills it with the purest and noblest emotions, but 
which no words can express. I cannot conceive of anything 
more splendid, than a view of the setting sun, down on the 
Southern Seas. 

" Thurs. 23. Just 12 weeks to-day since we came on board the 
"Herbert." Words cannot express our grounds for gratitude 
to our heavenly Father for all his goodness to us while uj-on the 
mighty deep. We have some rough weather now, but nothing 
that causes danger. The vessel rocks about a little, and this we 
like as a change. You would be quite amused to see. us at table 
some days. One hand holding on to the table, the other hold- 
ing a plate. Where is the hand to use in eating? I have at times 
. felt the want of another hand. Then, there goes a cup of tea, 
there a plate of soup into a lady's lap, there a plate of potatoes, 
or some are hurled from the table. Some are thrown against it. 
It would be quite amusing to a person stationed upon dry land 
to watch us. We enjoy good health, and I am often astonished 
that my present living agrees with me so well. 

"Mon. 27, Lat. 42°. S. Long. 120° E. To-day we had the 
last plate of potatoes set before us, and you may depend upon 
it I did ample justice to them. I have from this time out to live 
without vegetables, fruit or milk. But my digestive organs 
seem to accommodate themselves to our living wonderfully. 

"Wed. 29, Lat. 40° S. Long. 125°. E. To-day completes the 
winter season, the whole of which we have spent out on the wide 
ocean. I cannot realize that one of our cold, long dreary win- 
ters has passed away since we left. I sometimes try to picture 
out before my mind, how you are all situated at home — the 
country clad in white garments — the • sleds, sleighs, bells — some 
trembling and freezing in the cold, others crawling up to the 
hearth and shoving their toes close to the scorching fire — the 
cattle shivering about the barns. How diiferent to what we 
have been experiencing. Many and varied winds have carried 
us far from home and friends. As week after week, and nionth 
after month, v/e have been gliding over the surface of the mighty 
deep, and nothing but one continued sheet of water presented to 
oar view, the incomprehensible extent of the ocean has been 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. 183 

more and more deeply impressed upon my mind. We have 
sailed about 17,000 miles, and seen no limits — passed the vari- 
ous climes, and seen no bounds. Oh, thou mighty deep, thy 
treasures are exhaustless ! A surface of over 147,000,000 square 
miles thou presentest to the sun, and 61,471,872,000,000,000,000 
cubic feet are contained within thy channels. From this ex- 
haustless store, more than thirty millions of millions of cubic 
feet of water daily rise, which are wafted bj^ wind over every 
continent, watering and fertilizing the earth, feeding fountains 
and supplying numerous streams. The power also of the briny 
deep equals its greatness.- Its monstrous look terrifies, its an- 
gry billow tosses, roars out, and rends to atoms whatever it will. 
As I have been pacing the deck, in solitude at night, thus re- 
flecting upon the power and greatness of the ocean, passages of 
Scripture have burst upon my mind, with a power and simple 
sublimity far above what I had ever before realized — such as Isa. 
xl. 12, Job xxxviii. 8-12, Ps. cxxxv. 6, 7, &c. Oh, Christian 
friend, rejoice in the great power of that arm whence thy help 
cometh, which will not suffer thy foot to slide, shielding from 
the sun by day, and moon by night, and preserving thy going 
out, and coming in for evermore ! 

" Mon. 5, Lat. 40° S. Long. 140° E. The weather has become 
very warm and pleasant. All are anxiously looking for land, 
and very impatient, especially to-day, as the wind is so light. No 
wonder. It is a long time not to see land, not to taste milk, to 
live apart from all society. I have almost forgotten that there 
is an active humming world of human beings in existence. At 
times, I almost feel as if this was the ark into which the whole 
world had been crowded, and that apart from us, there existed 
nothing but one wide solitude. But I hope that my eyes will soon 
behold that which will dispel this gloomy delusion. We were a 
little startled this morning at breakfast table, by the carpenter 
coming in and telling us that there were only twenty pails of wa- 
ter on board, for though near the land, it may be a number of 
days before we reach it. 

" I had intended to give you some account of the initiatory 
pleasures of gold digging. But I have not time now. If those 
who have the gold fever could see what those endure who go in 



1<S4 MEA[OTR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

search of that precious metal, their fever would rapidly abate, 
and they would soon be found in their right mind. 

'' It is morning with us, but you are just gathering round the 
family hearth on Sabbath. You little know where we are, how 
we are situated, what we are doing. But let us rejoice that we 
are in the care of the same great, good, kind, and powerful 
Keeper. 

"Wednesday, March 7. At 3 o'clock this morning, the cry 
' land, ho ! ' .resounded through the ship, awakening a thrill in 
every bosom not to be described. On reaching the deck, we saw 
the land like a dim cloud stretching along the horizon in the 
distance. It was trulj'- refreshing and enlivening to rest our eyes 
once more upon the dry land, after having beheld nothing but 
one dreary expanse of water for nearly 100 days. The land 
proved to be Cape Otway, about 100 miles from Melbourne. 

' ' Thursday, 8. Fine breezes sprang up last evening, and con- 
tinued all night. We were especially thankful for this, as our 
supply of water was nearly exhausted, and we had been on a 
scanty allowance for some days. The pilot came on board this 
morning from ' the Heads, ' the entrance to the Bay, about 40 
miles from Melbourne. The appearance of a stranger in our 
midst created quite a sensation — all the passengers crowding 
round to get a peep at the new comer, as though he had been a 
visitor from one of the planets. You will not be surprised at 
this when you remember that for months we have seen no face 
except those who are Avith us. A fine breeze speedily drove us 
into port. Thus our long voyage has terminated most plea- 
santly, as well as prosperously. Immediately boats from the 
wharf gathered around us, and in a short time those who had 
been so long closeted together were separated, no more to meet 
until we reach the eternal shores. As the ship gently glided 
into the harbour, furled her canvass, dropped her anchor, and 
for the first time sank into quiet repose upon the placid waters, 
my thoughts were involuntarily carried to the haven of eternal 
rest — to the hour when the weary pilgrim of earth draws nigh 
to the port called heaven, beholds the opening gates of the ce- 
lestial city, plants his feet upon the portals of the heavenly 
mansions, and catches a glimpse of the unutterable glories of 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. 185 

the New Jerusalem. At that happj^ moment, how every fibre 
of the soul must thrill with most exquisite delight and joy — joy 
and gladness that the voyage of life, with all its sore trials, toils, 
and dangers, is over, and the eternal joys and felicities of heaven 
are in sure and full possession. As theSe reflections pressed upon 
my mind, my soul breathed forth the prayer that He who stands 
at the helm of affairs, would grant unto us such a happy and 
prosperous voyage down the stream of time, into the port where 
sin and sorrow never enter, and where peace and joy never end. 
' ' Friday, 9. We did not land till this morning. Hence you 
may imagine that we were not very restless or uneasy. No ; 
we felt as if we were leaving home when we left the old ship. 
Every thing about her had become so familiar to us, and our 
dear little room we can never forget. But when we landed, the 
sight of land, trees, houses, fruit, and grass made us almost for- 
get that we were in a strange land. Bessie acted just like a bird 
escaping from a cage. But I trust that in the midst of our joy 
and rejoicing, we did not forget the goodness and kindness, which 
our heavenly Father had manifested towards us since we had 
left our homes. May our friends not forget to render thanks to 
Him who is the Grod of missions for the favour and mercy which 
he has extended to us since we left, and may you all be encour- 
aged to ask for us still greater things, in the full assurance that 
he will hear and answer your prayers." 

At Melbourne they were received with great kind- 
ness. Christian friends did all that was requisite for 
their comfort, and to forward the objects of their mis- 
sion. From this place he thus writes : 

" We are residing with Rev. Mr. Bamsay, of the U. P. church, 
one of those ministers, who did not unite with those who united 
about a year ago. He and his good ladj^ are as parents to us, 
and we feel quite at home here. God has thus kindly provided a 
happy home for us here in a strange land. Oh may we love him 
more and more ! . Bev. B. Hamilton, who also stood aloof from 
the union, is also very kind to us. In a word we have many friends 
raised up to us here. 
16 * 



186 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

" As I was entering Mr. Hamilton's cliurch on Sabbath even- 
ing, Rev. A. Sunderland, whose name you may have frequently 
seen in connexion with the voyages of the John WilHams, stepped 
up to me. He informed me who he was, that he was well ac- 
quainted with Mr. Greddie and our mission, and would be happy 
to render me any assistance in his power. I did, and do still re- 
gard him as one sent to us by Him, whose cause we would ad- 
vance, to assist and direct us in his work. The assistance and 
service which we have received from him are invaluable, perhaps 
will yet be felt and acknowledged by our church. 

" Mr. S. informed me that a vessel would sail from this port 
to Tanna in the course of a week or two. I regard this as very 
providential. A vessel seldom or never sails from Melbourne 
to the Polynesian isles. Hence a vessel sailing to Tanna so soon 
after our arrival we would regard as the doings of Him, who has 
promised to be with his servants until the end of time. We are 
now waiting until this vessel sails. To go directly from this 
place will save much time, expense and trouble. It had been 
my constant prayer that we might be thus favoured, and I trust 
that our prayers have been thus answered. 

"We are very happy and contented. The nearer I reach my 
work, the more anxious I am to be engaged in it, and the greater 
pleasure do I feel in looking forward to it. We find the weather 
here very warm, equal to our hottest summer weather. We 
have abundance of fruit, and are getting seeds to take with us. 
We are also getting some more supplies, and such materials as 
we will need for building purposes. 

" Oh, that our dear Christian friends at home may not forget 
to render sincere thanks to the Grod of missions for his goodness, 
mercy, an^ condescension, in so far and so largely prospering 
those whom your church has commissioned to carry the ever- 
lasting gospel to the benighted nations ! May none fail to regard 
this as an evidence that the mission enterprise is an object dear 
to the Grod of heaven ; also as an evidence that, however weak 
and unworthy we may be, yet he has chosen us to the glorious 
work, and will be with us while we continue to serve him accord- 
ing to our ability in the work. Brethren, cease not to support 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO MELBOURNE. 187 

US by your united prayers, and you shall liear still greater things 
from us. Farewell. ' ' 

Regarding that place and his residence there, he 
thus writes under date, April 7th, i860. 

"A gracious Providence provided a kind home for us while 
there. We were treated with so much parental kindness and 
tenderness, that we almost forgot that we were far from home, 
and among strangers, and we were encouraged and rejoiced to 
see the interest which was manifested in our work, and to listen 
to the many earnest prayers offered up on our behalf and for our 
cause. May the Hearer of prayer answer. May we never for- 
get the hand which has so kindly and liberally provided for us, 
so unworthy of such favours. We feel encouraged to ask more, 
and to go forward in this great work. 

' ' How imperfect the idea we form of a distant land from the 
reports we hear respecting it ! How many multitudes come to 
this land to make their fortunes, but only meet with disappoint- 
ments, toils, trials, and temptations. It is a common saying here, 
that those who come to this country leave their religion and 
character behind them. Men who at home were regarded as 
honest, religious men, have when they have been here a. short 
time quite a different character, are dishonest, Sabbath-break- 
ing, drinking, &c. When men esteem gold more than the 
treasures of heaven, when they will undertake to compass sea 
and land to seek riches before they seek Christ, Grod appears to 
leave them wholly to themselves, the temptations of a wicked 
world and Satan's power. Is not this what we might expect? 
If men love and seek the world more than Grod and heaven, will 
not Grod give them this world as their portion ? Ah, and a sad 
portion it is, as many have learned from sad experience, for the 
gold which these who are regarded as fortunate have secured, 
has been to them the greatest curse that ever came upon them ! 

"What is true of persons is true of the whole country and 
people. Has the gold made this a happy land and people? 
No. There is a universal complaint of dishonesty and want of 
principle. Man cannot trust man. Drink, pleasure, ending in 



188 MEMX)IR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

■misery, insanity, and most wretched death and shame, prevail. , 
Men drink, women drink, all drink. Pleasure of all kinds from 
the more innocent down to the most vicious and degrading, is the 
general pursuit. 

"The churches are swept away by the tide, ministers fall be- 
fore it, and I believe all more or less are borne down by the cur- 
rent. The world to a lamentable extent leavens everything. 
Such are some of the most prominent characteristics of the land, 
which in the imagination of the men of the world is a paradise 
on earth. And it is just such a paradise, as the things which 
worldly men court will make. Oh, that men were wise, and 
they would ]ii.3t set their hearts so much upon this world ! 



■^EOM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 189 



CHAPTEE IX. 

FllOM MEJDBOTTMNE TO TME NEW MEBJRIDES. 

After about three weeks' residence in Melbourne 
they sailed for the islands in a vessel which was expected 
to visit the Samoas and the Fiji Islands before visiting 
the New Hebrides. This was a circuitous course, but 
as by it they could take advantage of the trade winds, 
whereas by a direct route to Aneiteum they were liable 
to head winds and a long passage, it was believed that 
much time would not be lost. We shall give in his own 
words a narrative of his voyage and visit to the Fijis, 
as given in letters to his brother and the Board. 

"On Monday, April 2, after solemn prayer at Mr. 
Ramsay's house, in which the Rev. J. P. Sunderland, 
R. Hamilton, A. M. Ramsay, and myself engaged, we 
took an affectionate farewell of our kind hostess and 
the family. The brethren accompanied us to the ship, 
where we with full hearts took a last farewell of those, 
from whom we had received so much kindness and at- 
tention in a strange land. 

" The vessel was a schooner of 133 tons register, had 
three masts, but with yards only on the foremast. She 
was well built, strong and tight. She was from Dundee, 
and the captain and mate were from the same place. 



190 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

The second mate was a native of Charlotte Town, 
P. E. I. 

" The accommodations on board were very inferior 
But I suppose that they are better than the great 
Apostle Paul had during his missionary voyages in the 
Mediterranean Sea. 

"When we first began a sea-faring life we could 
scarcely have reconciled ourselves to them, but by living 
so long upon the sea, we have become quite like sailors, 
can put up with their accommodations and fare, and also 
feel quite satisfied, happy and at home. Thus our 
heavenly Father has kindly and tenderly brought us 
along and gradually prepared us for what awaited us, 
so that we scarcely feel that we are or have been en- 
during any privations.* 

" Though for several days before, the agents had pro- 
mised us that the vessel would sail that day, yet the day 
passed away and she remained at the wharf. We did 
not leave the vessel. 

" There were on board fourteen passengers — ten men, 
two women, and two children, bound for the Fijis. In- 
tercourse with the Pacific Islands is rapidly increasing. 
Their resources are being developed, and their products 
brought into the market. We have even increasing evi- 
dences on every side, that these isles, hitherto so little 

* Most of our readers are aware that now provision has been made for 
the safe and rapid conveyance of our missionaries by the missionary ves- 
sel " Dayspring," supplied for their use by the liberality of the youth of 
the Presbyterian Churches in Australia and Nova Scotia. The difficulties 
to which Mr. Johnston was subjected in obtaining a passage, the time lost 
by the circuitous route by the other islands, and the discomforts on board 
these vessels, wiU show the value of such an aid to the mission work on 
the islands. 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. liH 

Lentcd, and so much cut off from the rest of tlie 
1, will soon be frequented, and brought near to the 
civilized and commercial portions of our globe. Oh ! 
may the church be zealous to have the heralds of the 
cross to precede the men of the world — the gospel to go 
before trade. Then shall our commercial intercourse 
with these isolated portions of our earth bring additional 
comforts and happiness to the great body politic, and 
glory to the heavenly kingdom, which Christ came to 
our world to establish, for the glory of his Father, and 
for the present and eternal happiness of the human 
race. 

" On Tuesday the tug boat towed us down the river 
Yarra in the bay about nine miles. Here we dropped 
anchor, and remained until yesterday. Every day as 
it passed, the promise was we shall sail to-morrow. AVe 
spent the week on board the schooner, anxiously await- 
ing from day to day. At length on Sabbath morning 
the pilot came on board, and we soon weighed anchor 
and once more committed ourselves to the winds and the 
waves. There was no Sabbath on board. I felt sad, 
but it was not in my power to control men over whom I 
had no authority. We only sailed to the Heads, about 
forty miles, when we had to lay to for the night. This 
is all we gained by our Sabbath desecration. Oh ! that 
men would fear and serve God, and they would find that 
it would not interfere with their prosperity ! 

" For the next two days we had fine days, and light 
winds passing through Bass's Straits. The Australian 
shore and the islands adjacent are rocky and barren, much 
resembling the southern shores of Nova Scotia. We 
did not see Van Dieman's Land. 



192 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

" We found this vessel quite different from the 
large ship in which we came- out. For nearly two 
weeks we were rocked and rolled, and tumbled about 
without a minute's rest, night or day. At night, 
when I was rolling about in my berth, and in vain try- 
ing to sleep, I sometimes wondered how I used to sleep 
so soundly in my cradle. The sailors said they never 
saw a vessel that rolled so much, and so quickly. They 
could not walk the decks without some support. I 
realized the force of the expression, ^ Thou restless ocean.' 
Bessie was very sick, the motion of the vessel being so 
different from that of the other, and so much greater. 

" The first few days after we left Bass's Straits we 
had very favourable wind. After that it blew strong 
from the S. E. and E. ; a very unusual wind for this 
parallel of latitude. Hence, we were compelled to 
leave our course, and to head almost directly for the 
New Hebrides. As we day after day slowly approached 
the long-looked for shores, I almost began to hope that 
a kind Providence would bring us directly to our desti- 
nation. The captain also promised that if that wind 
continued, he would call and land us. But on the 23d, 
at about 6 P. M. , through the influence of certain par- 
ties jon board, when we were about 24 hours' sail from 
Aneiteum, the wind fair, and when I felt that our long 
jourijey was all but accomplished — that we were at the 
door — the command ' tack ship' fell painfully upon my 
ears. My feelings at that moment I shall never forget. 
For a time I would not be resigned. I felt that it would 
not be so. I could not leave the work brought so near; 
and my missionary friends almost in sight. I felt sad 
that the supplies, &c., brought so near to them should 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 193 

be taken away from them, I know not how long. But 
the vessel's bow was turned, and she speedily bore us 
away from those loved scenes. But carnal nature re- 
belled, and I found feelings and desires arising in my 
bosom, not in accordance with the pure and beautiful 
spirit of the gospel. I wished that God would punish 
these selfish men, and frustrate their selfish schemes. 
I turned away from the captain in disgust ; saying, ' He 
would never lament doing good service to God's cause; 
but he might yet lament doing the opposite.' My feel- 
ings seemed to turn with loathing from those around me, 
and I felt that I could not associate with beings so in- 
difierent to the interests of Christ's kingdom. It was a 
trying hour. I besought God to forgive my impatience, 
improper feelings, and to give me right principles, feel- 
ings, patience, and perfect submission to his will. 

" After tacking ship, we made little progress. Most 
of those on board were from the gold diggings, and I 
find that persons from gold fields do little else but talk 
about gold, play cards, drink rum, or quarrel with each 
other. You know little about the price which those who 
get gold pay for it. In general it is selling their souls 
for yellow dust. None but those who value gold more 
than holiness, morals, and peace with God, would ever 
come here to seek gold, if they knew what was to be 
their lot here and the influences brought to bear upon 
them here. You must see before you can know or re- 
alize the truth of what I am now saying. 

" We had very pleasant weather, only a little too 
warm at night. We had fine sailing breezes, but for a 
time almost dead ahead, and we consequently made but 
little progress. Tin's afforded us time for reflection. , ' 
17 



194 MEMOIR OF S. i\ JOHNSTOJT. 

" My thoughts often wandered away to the vale 
of Stewiacke. I thought of what was going on there 
— the husbandmen busy preparing the land for th^ 
reception of the seed — the fields becoming green, 
the flocks beginning to nibble the springing grass, and 
all things appearing fresh, cheerful, and animating. Oh I 
would have liked to get a peep of those scenes! I hope 
that our friends in Stewiacke will not forget the pro- 
posal I made to them, I feel that they will not. 

" On Sabbath, May 6, at daylight the Island of 
Kentava was seen in the distance like a dim cloud 
stretching along the horizon. It is one of the wind- 
ward islands of the Fiji group. As we drew nigh, a 
cloud of mist hung over the land, deeply concealing its 
features — emblematical of the deep spiritual darkness 
which envelopes these fair Isles, shutting out the glo- 
rious light of the blessed gospel, and all its benign in- 
fluences. But the rays of the rising sun are dispelling 
the clouds, and revealing the beauties and richness of 
the landscape. Oh ! may the rays of the Sun of right- 
eousness fall upon benighted nations, dispelling the 
spiritual darkness, and revealing to their minds the 
glories of the cross, the way of life, the pleasures 
that endure for evermore, and the felicities of the bright 
land that is afar ofi*. My eyes now for the first time 
rested upon a heathen land. It was with peculiar feelings, 
that I realized that I was now in sight of a land in- 
habited by naked savages, who know not the Saviour, 
worship idols, the work of men's hands. What more 
dismal and melancholy scene could be brought before 
my mind, than that which mine eyes now beheld. Oh ! 
may my heart be rightly affected by tliis sight. May 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 1% 

sympathy for the perishing fill my soul, and zeal for 
God's glory fire my bosom. May fervent desire to pro- 
mote the honor of His name prompt me to unflagging, 
and self-denying eff"orts for the salvation of the world 
perishing in sin and darkness. 

^' On Monday, 7, we came to anchor in the harbour 
of Levuka. The name of the island is Ovalau. The 
pilot soon came off in his boat having on board two na- 
tives naked, except the narrow wrapper about three 
inches wide round the waist. The natives came ofi" in 
their canoes, and soon hundreds of these naked beings 
crowded around us. I shall not soon forget my feelings 
as I for the first time stood in the presence of naked 
heathen men and women. I at first felt that I could 
not allow them to come near m.e. I shuddered at the 
sight, and thought it impossible to live with and love 
such beings, and I felt that I would gladly hasten back 
to my native land. But then I asked myself, why was 
I not a naked savage ? Why had I enjoyed the com- 
forts, joys, and blessings of civilized. Christian life? 
And why had I the prospects of heaven before me ? As 
I thus reflected, my mind was drawn out in sympathy 
for those poor naked heathen, and I felt (if I am not 
deceived) that I would not leave them — that my great- 
est happiness would be in labouring to clothe, en- 
lighten, elevate, and save them. But I had a sore 
struggle with my feelings. Their condition was so dis- 
gusting and repulsive. Can you conceive yourself sur- 
rounded by a crowd of naked men and women, and 
these degraded beings who eat each other? Such Las 
been our position. It is truly painful and humbling to 
see those of our own race, so dead to the sense of 



196 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

shame, so brutish in their appearance and movements, 
and so destitute of everything noble and exalted. How 
mysterious that a portion of the human family should 
be left without salvation and Icnowledge, and allowed to 
become so beastly, degraded, and vile. I felt in my 
heart that if the Christian Church could but see their 
poor, naked, degraded fellow-beings, they would cer- 
tainly, for the sake of their common humanity, put forth 
united efforts for their benefit. 

" In the afternoon we went on shore and wandered 
about alone. We met some heathen with clubs. I 
shuddered as I looked upon them, and thought that these 
men eat each other, and kill one another with these very 
clubs. But we walked up to them, and they shook 
hands with us with a most pleasant smile, and I thought 
to myself, is it possible that these men eat, and devour, 
and kill each other ? I took their clubs into my hands, 
and so did Bessie. They jabbered away to us, but of 
course we did not understand. We visited some of their 
houses. We found our way to Mr. Binners, a mission- 
ary teacher who resides here. We spent a most pleasant 
and profitable afternoon with him and his good lady. 
As to scenery and the productions of nature, we were con- 
stantly delighted and amused. Every thing was new, 
interesting, and pleasant to us. We felt as if we were 
in another world, and you will easily imagine that I asked 
some questions. Bessie said she was ashamed of me. I 
was so constantly inquiring, that I would give them no 
peace. We were just like children let into a toy shop, 
that had never seen one before, running about ana 
asking, what is this and what is that for ? clapping their 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 197 

hands, laughing, so I felt at times tempted to jump and 
clap my hands. 

" On Tuesday, 8, we sailed round the island to Port 
Kinnaird, where is the residence of the British Consul, 
Mr. Pritchard, the son of a missionary who went out 
witR John Williams to Raratonga or Tahiti. We had 
on board the chief or king of the Islands, and a num- 
ber of inferior chiefs as attendants. We felt ourselves 
somewhat honoured, to have on board such a royal party, 
especially as they would pull the ropes with the sailors 
and do a large part of the vessel's work. It is not 
every ship that is manned with kings and chieftains. 
The head chief, Tui Levuka, ate dinner with us in the 
cabin. He behaved very politely, and used knife and 
fork well. But as I thought that this very man had 
eaten men and women — that these teeth had chewed 
human flesh, I almost trembled, and felt inclined to leave 
the table. But still the man was as pleasant and had as 
smiling and benevolent a countenance as the best of us. 
We reached Port Kinnaird in the evening, and the con- 
sul came on board. He is a pleasant-looking man. He 
treated us with great respect, and gave us a kind invi- 
tation to visit him. A sister lives with him. He is the 
first white man who has ever resided on this part of the 
island, and ours is the first vessel of any size, which 
has ever sailed up this harbour. The natives therefore 
flocked around us in great numbers, while we remained 
here. 

" On the following day I went on shore with the 

consul and a number of others, to take a cruise through 

the country and woods. It was most delightful to 

wander about amidst the rich, varied, and luxuriant 

17 * 



198 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

productions of these tropical isles. There we saw grow- 
ing wild and spontaneously, oranges, lemons, ginger, 
cocoanuts, nutmegs, bread-fruit, &c. Well, would you 
like to play about among these woods, and pick and 
eat oranges, &c., and just as many as you wished ? The 
grass was much taller than ourselves, and as I wandered 
through it, T thought of the man who mowed all day 
without seeing the sun. You cannot form an idea of 
the rapid growth of plants, fruits, and trees in this 
country. The forests are always green — some trees in 
blossom, some covered with green fruit and some with 
ripe, some vegetables just springing above the ground, 
others ripe, and so on. It is the beginning of their 
winter now, but you never saw so beautiful a summer 
as we are enjoying here. It is not quite so warm as 
our hottest days in summer. But it is warm night and 
day. I do not feel the heat oppressive. We both 
enjoy the clima1;e very much. I never had better health. 
I am getting quite fleshy and healthy-looking. I am 
fattening on oranges and fruit of various kinds. I do 
not pay twelve and a half cents for an orange here, as 
I have seen some do. Two needles will buy a peck of 
splendid oranges and a half a bushel of lemons. So 
we have as many of these as we wish to eat, and one 
of these is worth two or three of the best you ever saw. 
" On Friday, the 11th, we took a sail with the natives, 
in one of their canoes. The party consisted of three 
native teachers, one heathen and ourselves. They 
could not speak a word of English. We set out for the 
isle of Bau, about the distance of fifteen miles, where 
lives the great king and where some Wesleyan Mis- 
sionaries reside. They chattered and jabbered away to 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 199 

US, but we could not understand a word. Here we 
were alone in a heathen land, with those who a few 
years ago were savage cannibals, and one of whom is 
still a heathen. We could not speak to them nor they 
to us. We knew not where they might take us. As 
these and such like thoughts were passing through my 
mind I almost trembled. But they seemed so kind and 
pleasant that I soon felt quite at ease, and as safe as if 
I had been in your old canoe with yourself. Some- 
thing having gone wrong about the sail, they hove to 
near the land, and all sprung out and off to the shore, 
like as many musk rats, leaving us all alone in the 
canoe. We did not know what might come next, or 
whether we might not be deserted here. But soon we 
saw the fellows climbing the trees and cutting down 
vines which run up the trees, like hops upon poles. 
They soon came on board with these, which are Fiji 
ropes, and with them they soon put their canoe in sail- 
ing order. Thus you see that nature provides for these 
poor natives almost every thing they want. They left 
the heathen on shore, and we sailed on. After a time 
they commenced bellowing out occasionally, like so many 
bulls of Bashan. In a short time he emerged from the 
woods and came off to us. He had some fire in his 
hands, with which they lighted their pipes. Finally it 
became rough, and our little canoe began to pitch and 
plunge about very much. But we felt quite safe. We 
enjoyed our sail very much. Had you been stationed 
in some place, where you could have seen us and heard 
all, you would have been greatly amused. When we 
reached we were very kindly received by the mission- 
aries. But they were astonished at our courage, and 



200 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

gave US a good lecturing for venturing to sail such a 
distance in one of these fragile crafts. But we were 
ignorant of the danger, and felt as happy and as safe as 
if we had been on land. How constantly are we de- 
pendent upon the care and protection of our heavenly 
Father. How often he saves and protects us when we 
are in danger, unknown to ourselves. Oh! that we 
would therefore love and . trust in Him now. We re- 
mained here four days, and they sent us back in their 
little schooner. This will give you an idea of the things 
we have seen, and the way in which we have spent our 
time.' 

" During the time that we were on these islands, I 
had an opportunity of seeing the operations and results 
of the Wesleyan Mission among these islands. Our 
friends at home have not had so full and frequent ac- 
counts of the operations of this society in the South 
Seas, as they have had of other societies engaged in the 
good work on these islands. A few general statements 
respecting the doings of the Wesleyan Mission, in Po- 
lynesia, I trust, will therefore be both interesting an^d 
profitable. 

" The Mission Field occupied in Polynesia, by the 
Wesleyans, according to mutual arrangements with other 
societies, is the Tongan, or Friendly, and Fijian Islands. 
The first efforts made towards the Christianization of 
these people, were the landing of 10 mechanics, from 
the ship ^Dufi*,' Captain Wilson, on the Friendly Is- 
lands, in the year 1797. They met with little success. 
Three of them were cruelly clubbed, one apostatized to 
Paganism, and the rest through privations, and con- 
tinued discouragements, were glad to embrace the op- 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 201 

portunity of being removed from these islands in 1800. 
After this, these islands appear to be neglected, until 
the arrival of the Rev. Mr. Lawry, in Tonga, in the 
year 1822. Pie, however, did not remain long, and the 
evangelization of these Isles was not efficiently and per- 
manently commenced, until the arrival of Rev. Mr. and 
Mrs. Thomas, and Mr. and Mrs. Hutchison, in 1826. 
Since this period, the Wesleyan Missionaries exclusively 
have laboured on the Tonga and Fiji Islands. Mr. and 
Mrs. Thomas still survive, but they retired from the 
work last year. The first dawn of success beamed on 
the mission in the year 1827, since which time their la- 
bours have been abundantly blessed ; until it may now 
be said the Tonguese are a Christian people. In the 
Eriendly Islands, the Wesleyans at the present time 
have 5 European Missionaries, and eight ordained na- 
tive assistant Missionaries. They have 150 chapels, 
147 day-schools, 647 day-scholars, 144 local preachers, 
890 class leaders, 7,874 full and accredited church 
members, -and the total number of attendants on public 
worship is 19,874. The united population of the 
i'riendly Islands is estimated at about 50,000. The 
Tonguese are represented as being an energetic, daring, 
and intellectual people — bearing a strong resemblance 
to the Samoans. 

" In 1835, the Wesleyan Society extended their mis- 
sion operations from Tonga to the Fiji Islands. For a 
long time their missionaries met with little encourage- 
ment — labouring amidst many sore privations, cruel 
persecutions, frequent threats from the heathen that 
they would be dubbed, and perils on the sea and on the 
land. The first missionaries to these islands were most 



202 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

faithful and indefatigable men. They continued to per- 
severe in the face of the most disheartening difficulties 
and opposition. Many of these have entered into their 
rest, without seeing any pleasing results from their la- 
bours. But during the last few years the mission has 
met with remarkable, and seldom equalled success. So 
that the present missionaries say : " Other men have 
laboured, and we have entered into their labours." Of 
all the numerous groups of islands in Polynesia, Fiji is 
the most extensive, valuable and populous. The Fiji- 
ans are emphatically a nation of cruel, awful cannibals. 
One of the missionaries in endeavouring to give me an 
idea of Fijian character, said it just accorded with Paul's 
description of the heathen in Romans, 1st chapter, and 
26th verse, to the end. But a glorious change has been 
wrought upon many of these degraded people. The en- 
tire population of Fiji is about 300,000. Of these, 60, 
000 have lotued — professed Christianity. There are in 
Fiji 7 missionaries, 2 English school-masters, 10 or- 
dained native assistant missionaries, 253 lo«al preach- 
ers, 298 chapels, 483 day-schools, 21,917 scholars ; 
fully and accredited church members 12,000, and about 
30,000 who can now read the Scriptures. Thus, through 
the labours of a few devoted servants of God, 30,000 
Fijians, who a few years ago knew not that there is one 
true God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, can read the Bible. 
But if you ask the great majority of this multitude, 
^^ Understand ye what ye read ?" they will reply, " How 
can we understand, except some one teach us ?" How 
sad ! that freedom from the restraints of civilization, 
the love of pleasure, sin and money, will induce multi- 
tudes to come and reside in heathen lands, while so few 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 203 

will volunteer to come to teach those who are perishing 
for lack of knowledge. Christendom has good reason 
to blush, that so many go forth from her shores, not to 
diifuse her blessings and privileges, but to render the 
condition of heathen nations still more degraded, mise- 
rable and hopeless. The missionaries complain that 
wherever foreigners reside, they counteract their la- 
bours, by their counsels and ungodly example. I have 
seen the most baneful and painful influence which the 
whites exert over the natives. Among the evils they 
have introduced and promote is, drunkenness. Tui Le- 
vuka, king of Ovalau, a promising young inan, has 
yielded to the temptation, and is rapidly sinking to ruin. 
The missionaries and native converts have prayed and 
laboured to save him. On one occasion, as the mission- 
ary was speaking very plainly and faithfully to the king, 
he replied, " It is no use speaking to me. You cannot 
tell me anything about the badness of my heart and the 
evils of drunkenness that I do not know, but I cannot 
give up my grog. Ask me to give you my pigs — this is 
difiicult, but still I can do it. Ask me to give you my 
ivife^ I love her, but still I can give her up. Ask me to 
give you my land — and what can I do without my land ? 
but still I can give it up ; but I cannot do what you ask 
— give up my grog, I must have my grog, though I 
know it is my ruin, and will be the damnation of my 
Soul." This man acquired his unconquerable love of 
strong drink from those who call themselves '''"moderate 
temperance men." When men-of-war are lying here, 
the officers always have the king on board daily to dine 
with them, and always gave him what they call a social 
glass. Here you see the result. Let those who enter 



204 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

tain moderate views respecting the temperance reform, 
listen to this man's confession, and tremble. I tremble 
when I reflect upon the misery, ruin, and awful eternal 
results which the example and influence of those, who 
hold that it is right to take a social glass, may and do 
produce. No, my friends, let us for the sake of hu- 
manity and the honour of God, adopt the motto, "taste 
not, handle not, touch not," and we shall never to the 
latest ages of eternity have cause to regret it. 

" A few general remarks. The gospel is now exert- 
ing a powerful influence over the entire population, even 
over the heathen, so that the horrid practice of canni- 
balism is no more : wars have ceased, and you may now 
go anywhere in safety. I have heard the whites lament- 
ing, and saying : ' It is not now as it was once. A few 
years ago we could purchase any amount of native pro- 
duce with muskets, balls and powder. Then every tribe 
was engaged in fighting ; but now they have left ofi" 
fighting, and care nothing about our guns and powder.' 
This complaint speaks volumes respecting the nature of 
the gospel, and the influence it exerts over the minds 
of men. Let this glorious gospel be diffused through 
the world, and we shall have universal peace. 

"My heart is made glad as I have an opportunity of 
seeing the great and glorious change wrought upon this 
people by the gospel of peace. My heart thrills with 
joy, as I meet with those who a few years ago were can- 
nibal savages in the school, in the class-room, in the 
house of prayer ; hear them sing the songs of Zion ; see 
them reverently bow the knee in prayer, and attentively 
litoten to the gospel message. Never have I experienced 
more pleasure, in seeiug the man of God enter the sane- 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 205 

tuary and ascend the pulpit, than I have experienced 
in beholding the native ordained preacher, enter the na- 
tive house of worship, clad in a white shirt, a robe of 
native cloth rt)und his waist, flowing down to his knees, 
a black coat on top of the shirt, bare head, neck, and 
feet, and the sacred Scriptures under his arm, gravely 
pass along through a crowd of worshippers sitting 
cross-legged upon the floor, take his stand at the sa- 
cred desk, and with apparent earnestness and solemnity 
proclaim Jesus and the everlasting gospel to his fellow- 
men. What a marvellous change ! A few years ago 
his greatest delight was to club and eat men and women. 
Now, he loves' them, weeps over their lost, wretched 
condition, and is in earnest to bring them to Christ, and 
to eternal holiness and happiness. 

" Perhaps there is no change which the gospel has 
wrought upon this people, that more forcibly strikes the 
stranger, than their observance of the Sabbath. A 
solemn stillness prevails all around. You feel that it 
is a day of rest, sing a tambu, a sacred day. In this 
matter they are an example to Christendom. I have 
shuddered, as I have seen the white men (some from 
Christian, Sabbath-observing Scotland), take their guns, 
and go to the woods for pleasure and for hunting on the 
Sabbath, while the natives all around were keeping the 
day tambu, sacred. Oh what an awful position such 
men will occupy in the day of judgment ! Let Chris- 
tians everywhere unite in earnest and unceasing wrest- 
ling with God in prayer for the outpouring of his Spirit 
upon Christendom, that the masses may be brought 
under the saving influence of the gospel — may be 
leavened with Divine truth, so that she may cease to 
18 



206 MEMOIll OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

send forth a multitude of men and women to be a moral 
pestilence in, and a curse to the countries they visit, or 
in which thej may take up their abode. The more I 
see of the world the more deeply do I feel that it is the 
duty of every Christian to keep in his mind the multi- 
tudes, who in his own land (many of whom may soon 
be scattered over the world), live a prayerless, godless 
life, whose influence is a powerful opposition to the 
cause of God, and are Satan's mighty army which he is 
wielding with prodigious ejQTect against the efforts of the 
Church to extend Christ's glorious kingdom, at home 
and abroad. Poor Fiji has many a mournful tale to 
tell respecting the wrongs inflicted upon her by the 
whites, and the evils they have introduced. I have 
listened to narratives of the doings of whites in these 
isles, until my heart has sickened within me. 'A white 
man wearing nothing but the native massi, a narrow 
strip of native cloth round the waist, eating human flesh 
as eagerly as any Fiji cannibal ; — an Englishman ill- 
treating and beating his wife, a native woman, until to 
free herself from her present sufferings and wrongs, she 
casts herself from a precipice to destroy her life, &c.' 
Such are the things that we hear respecting the doings 
of whites on these islands. Surely it is high time that 
Christian nations were thinking seriously about the in- 
fluence which multitudes of their people are exerting 
upon heathen nations. I have written more fully upon 
this subject, as I believe that our people at home should 
be well informed respecting the conduct of those 
abroad. Remember, Nova Scotia is not unrepresented 
here. 

" We were detained among these islands over four 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 207 

weeks. This was contrary to our engagements, when 
we took our passage in the vessel. But we had no con- 
trol over the officers, and had to submit patiently. Our 
detention here will not cost the Church anything, 
"^yhat we lament is, the loss of time. I trust we shall 
find hereafter that our time here was not wholly lost. 
An opportunity has been afforded us to become ac- 
quainted with our Methodist brethren, and their mode 
of conducting mission work. As there is something 
peculiar to every society and its operations, perhaps we 
may get some hints here on mission work, which we 
would not get from our own mission, and which may be 
valuable to us hereafter. Be that as it may, we have 
seen much of heathen character, and the mode of in- 
structing and managing a heathen people, and life 
apart from civilization. We have received much kind- 
ness from the Wesleyan missionaries, and feel ourselves 
under great obligations to them, especially to the Rev. 
J. S. Fordham of Bau, and Mr. and Mrs. Binner of 
Ovalau. With the latter persons we resided over two 
weeks, and received every possible kindness from them. 
When we meet in a strange land, we forget that we be- 
long to different denominations. Would that Chris- 
tians at home think less about their peculiar tenets, and 
more about the great object of life, the glory of God, 
and the salvation of the world." 

We may add here an extract from a letter of Mrs. 
Johnston, giving some farther particulars of missionary 
work on the Fijis. 

' ' We were at Fiji five weeks. Our vessel called at different 
islands of the group, and we remained most of the time on shore 
with the missionaries, where we were most kindly entertained. 



208 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

I trust our stay here, though causing much delay, has not been 
.wholly unprofitable to us. It gave us an opportunity of seeing 
more of the native character, and the ways of managing them, 
the different modes of teaching, &c. We spent one week on 
the island of Bau, called the metropolis of Fiji, where the 
greatest cliiof resides ; and where there are now stationed one 
Wesleyan missionary and a teacher. 

''This island but a mile in circumference, contains a popula- 
tion of fifteen hundred ; most of whom are now under Christian 
instruction. The mission work has met with great success on 
this island. It is only about seven years since a missionary has 
been permitted to labour among them, and it is said that canni- 
balism prevailed to a greater extent on this, and the adjacent 
stations, than on any other part of the group. The Chief, who 
had been the greatest cannibal, was among the first to embrace 
Christianity ; and, as generally is the case, his influence tended 
to dispose many others to think well of the new religion, so that 
now the chapel and school are quite well attended. This chapel 
will seat about a thousand persons. One would be astonished 
to see the amount of labour expended on it. The rafters and 
posts are beautifully ornamented with dyed roots of various 
colours, and plaited fibres, wound round in different figures. 
There is said to be over a million yards of this fine plait used in 
ornamenting, and there is the tying cords beside, of which no 
-small amount is required, seeing there is not a nail to be 
found in the whole building. 

"We also spent a few hours in the school. At the beating 
of a drum, for there was no beU, at 8 o'clock in the morning 
over a hundred scholars assembled. After the teacher had gone 
in and taken his stand they followed in a most orderly manner, 
seating themselves on the mats ; men, women, and children to- 
gether — many of them with but very little clothing. After the 
devotional exercises, in which they engaged with all solemnity, 
they were arranged into different classes, over which five native 
assistant teachers presided. The English teacher superintend- 
ing the whole. We were delighted with the order in which the 
whole was conducted ; and pleased to learn that his method of 
teaching was, as near as could be expected, under the mauy in- 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 209 

conveniences which he laboured, the proper Normal system. 
You may know that / would not have less confidence in his 
teaching, when he told me that he was a graduate from a train- 
ing institution in Scotland. The scholars seemed quite inter- 
ested in their work — appeared reallj'^ delighted in singing and 
marching ; and when it came to physical exercises, they entered 
into them with their whole heart. I never saw these exercises 
performed with more order. The natives on all the islands we 
have visited have been very kind to us, some of them expressed 
their kindness by bringing us presents of oranges, lemons, mats, 
baskets, &c. The report of a vessel at anchor having a mis- 
sionary on board was soon spread. They wished us to remain 
on their island, and learning from their missionary that we were 
for the New Hebrides, insisted that we would be much better with. 
them, but seemed glad that another missionary was sent to the 
heathen. A native was heard one morning at family worship 
praying that the language of that people would be made easy to 
us, and that we would be good teachers to the heathen. How 
simple, yet most touching, these words of the poor native. He 
had nothing more to give, but these words were uttered with deep 
earnestness. ' ' 

On the 25th June, they arrived at Aneiteum, where 
their coming caused great joy to the brethren engaged 
in the work. Mr. Geddie thus writes under date Au- 
gust 3d : 

" I need scarcely say that we have been much cheered 
by the arrival of our new friends. We feel truly 
thankful that you have sent us persons so amiable in 
themselves and so fitted for the work in which they are 
about to engage. I am sure that I express the senti- 
ments of every member of the mission, when I say that 
we regard them as a valuable addition to our missionary 
band." 

The island of Aneiteum on which they now landed is 
the southernmost of the New Hebrides. This group 
18 - 



210 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

consists of about thirty islands, some of them of con- 
siderable size, extending over a distance of some four 
hundred miles, between latitude 15° north -and 20^ 
south, and longitude 171° and 166° east. With the 
exception of the Fijis and New Zealand, there is no 
group in the South Pacific that will bear comparison 
with the New Hebrides in extent, population, and re 
sources. They are in general of volcanic origin, and 
present those pictures of beauty and fertility for which 
the South Sea Islands are so celebrated. 

There is considerable variety among the inhabitants, 
but they have some features in common. They differ 
from the Malay races, which generally inhabit the 
islands of the Eastern Pacific, in having more of a ne- 
gro appearance, and are now generally known as the 
Melanesian race. The first attempt to introduce the 
gospel among them, was made in 1839 by John Wil- 
liams, who landed Samoan teachers on Tanna the day 
before his death. In the year 1842 Messrs. Nisbet and 
Turner commenced a mission on Tanna, but after seven 
months were obliged to leave the island. In the year 
1848, the Rev. John Geddie and Mrs. Geddie of the 
Presbyterian Church of Nova Scotia landed on Anei- 
teum. This is a small island, the population being about 
3,500, but it has the best harbour in the group, and is 
favourably situated for operating on the neighbouring 
islands. The people were then sunk in the lowest 
abominations of heathenism. War, infanticide, strangu- 
lation of widows, cannibalism, and crimes not to be 
named among Christians, prevailed. Mr. and Mrs. 
Geddie laboured alone for about three years, amid many 
discouragements, and sometimes in peril of their lives. 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 211 

In 1852 the Rev. John Inglis, of the Reformed Pres- 
byterian Church of Scotland, arrived. At that time the 
tide had begun to turn in favour of Christianity, and 
by the time that Mr. Johnston arrived, the whole popu- 
lation had abandoned heathenism, and were under 
Christian instruction. All the cruelties and abomina- 
tions of heathenism had passed away. Schools to the 
number of sixty were in operation over the whole 
island. The Sabbath. was strictly observed. Family 
worship, night and morning, was universal, and peace 
and order prevailed over the whole island. In short, 
Mr. J. now met a Christian community, where ten years 
before there was only the most savage heathenism. 
Mr. J. was much interested in the natives, and the 
mission work among them; and was much delighted 
with what he saw of the progress and effects of the 
gospel on the island. We give his own account of his 
arrival and impressions. 

" After a very tedious passage from the Fijis, and 
on the morning of the 25th of June, before sunrise, I 
was the first to descry Aneiteum in the distance. A 
sight of the land which has so largely occupied the 
minds of our good people at home, to which we have so 
long looked forward with such deep interest and anx- 
iety, and in which we anticipate spending our days, 
awakened in our bosoms emotions not to be expressed 
in words. 

" The entrance to the harbour was not reached till 
the afternoon. No person coming off to jis we were 
greatly disappointed, and the captain had to act as pi- 
lot. We came to anchor safely abreast of the mission 
premises. As seen from the harbour, the mission build- 



212 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

ings, and especially the new church, have quite an im- 
posing appearance. A native soon came off to us in a 
canoe. Being able to speak a little English, he informed 
us that Mr. and Mrs. Geddie were over on the other 
side of the island, at Mr. Inglis' station. We gave 
him a note for Mr. G., with which he hasted away with 
as much dispatch, as though he had been entrusted with 
some important message from Her Majesty's govern- 
ment. We then landed, and received a most cordial 
welcome from the natives who were about the premises. 
One would have supposed that we were their acquaint- 
ances, who had just returned from a long absence. 
They conducted us through the mission grounds to the 
house, and showed us to the parlour, saying to us, 
' Here^ parlir.' Mary, the wife of the young chief — son 
of the late chief, Nohoat, and once one of Mrs. G.'s 
girls, waited upon us, preparing tea, performing the 
duties of the table, showing us to bed, &c., in a manner 
most pleasing to us, and highly creditable to herself. 
We had quite a time shaking hands, for all, from the 
youngest to the eldest, must welcome us to their shores. 
We w6re quite delighted with every thing we saw — the 
buildings, the garden, the walks, the fences, trees, &c., 
were so tasty and beautiful. When we had walked 
round, seen every thing, and the natives so changed, 
happy, smiling, and so full of kindness, we were ready 
to exclaim, ' The half had not been told us.' 

"On Tuesday, 26th, about noon, Messrs. -Geddie and 
Copeland, 'and Mrs. G. arrived. I need not tell you it 
was a most happy meeting. I felt it to be one of the 
happiest moments of my life. We found Mr. and Mrs. 
G. younger in appearance, and more vigourous than we 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 218 

expected. Still, however, Mr. G. thinks he will require 
a rest ere long. We immediately commenced landing 
the mission goods, and were for several days occupied 
with this work. All the mission supplies were in the 
very best condition. They say these are the first mis- 
sion supplies which had not received damage by the 
way. I hope that when goods are forwarded to these 
islands, good, strong boxes will be provided, and they 
should be lined with tiuy and soldered, so as to be water- 
tight. A little trouble of this kind may save your sup- 
plies, w^hich are invaluable to the missionary and expen- 
sive to yourselves, from complete ruin. Boxes have 
arrived here whose contents have been destroyed on the 
passage — being wet, &c. Some of our boxes were a 
mere wreck by the time we reached our destination. 

" Thus ends our long voyage. We have sailed above 
20,000 miles, passing over seas, oceans, and through 
various climes, resided nearly five months on the ocean 
wave, spent 7 months and 17 days since we embarked 
on board the Eastern State, and 6 months and 25 days 
since we sailed from America. We and all that has 
been entrusted to our care have been landed safely, — 
ourselves in the enjoyment of excellent health, and the 
goods in the best condition. In this happy termination 
of our long voyage, I trust that many prayers, ofi'ered 
by our friends in Cape Breton, P. E. Island, and No- 
va Scotia have been answered. In God's kindness and 
tenderness • to us, and his preserving care exercised 
over all that has been entrusted to us, may you all re- 
cognize his willingness to answer prayer, and be en- 
couraged to continue and increase your earnest suppli- 
cations in behalf of all the interests of this mission. 



214 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

Forget not to praise the Lord, and to render thanks 
unto his great and holy name for all his goodness, kind- 
ness, and condescension manifested toward his unworthy 
servants engaged in his cause. 

" Mrs. Johnston enjoys good health, and is quite 
a favourite among the natives. She attends the 
school with Mrs. G., and is able to render her some as- 
sistance. 

" The natives made a feast to-day, as an expression 
of joy and gratitude for our safe arrival amongst them 
for the purpose of instructing the heathen. They also 
made us a nice present of taro and fowls. Lathella, 
the young chief, not being able to attend on account of 
sickness, sent in a short note, which I forward to you, 
with the translation. These are pleasing evidences of 
the influence, which the gospel is exerting over their 
minds. 

" We have not received any letters from IsTova Scotia 
since we sailed from America. We long to hear from 
our native land. We are anxious to know what has 
transpired there since we left. May our first intelli- 
gence be an account of a revival among our people. 
Oh, that the Lord may be pleased to visit you all with 
a time of reviving from his own presence ! 

" I think mission work on this island will compare 
very favourably indeed with any thing we saw on Fiji. 
While our missionaries do not cultivate so extensive a 
field, they appear to do their work more thoroughly. 

" And now, my dear friends, let not your interest in 
the mission flag. You have accomplished a great and 
glorious work — this is apparent to all who visit this is- 
land — but a still greater work remains to be done. For 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 215 

years your mission has prospered, and met with no re- 
verse. Be watchful, lest continued success beget pride 
and carelessness. Remember that all success depends 
upon the Divine blessing, and the blessing depends upon 
your prayers. If you forget this solemn fact, and be- 
come confident of success, saying in your hearts, ' Is 
not this the work we have wrought?' God may soon 
humble you in the dust. Sad and most humiliating re- 
sults may follow in rapid succession.* Forget not that 
you now have a number of young men upon the field, 
with comparatively little experience. If our hands are 
not supported by your prayers, we have every reason 
to fear that our presence here will not aid the noble 
cause. If, then, you have sympathy for multitudes 
sunk in brutal degradation, perishing for the lack of 
knowledge, and respect our Saviour's last command, 
cease not to pray for us, and for the success of the sub- 
lime mission to the heathen tribes of Polynesia. Per- 
mit me respectfully to ask, Do your closets, your family 
altars, prayer-meetings, and sanctuaries bear united tes- 
timony to your sincere and deep interest in the regene- 
ration of the benighted men, women, and children of 
the New Hebrides ?" 

Mrs. J. thus writes regarding Aneiteum : 

"We arrived here on 25th June. I felt on reaching here 
quite like coming home after a long journey among strangers. 
We are spending a few pleasant days with Mr. and ]Mrs. Geddie. 
We found them quite well, though somewhat lonely after the 
separation from their dear children ; but they seem quite ab- 
sorbed in their work — endeavouring to render all other things 
subservient to its interest. 

"Mrs. Geddie' s time is much occupied in teaching. In the 

* How Foon was this verified ! 



216 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

forenoon she has the girls sewing ; after dinner she spends an 
hour with the writing class ; immediately after this the afternoon 
class meets. Those attending this class are the more advanced, 
chiefly men and women. These are making very good progress in 
reading, writing and arithmetic. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Matheson were here last week. I have not 
seen Mrs. Grordon yet; but I have heard her most highly 
spoken of. She is much beloved by all the missionaries' wives. 

' ' I love the natives of this place ; they are affectionate to each 
other, and always ready and glad to show any kindness to the 
missionaries. Mrs. Gr. has the girls, who live with her, quite 
schooled in domestic affairs, so that she is more free to devote her 
time to teaching. Some of the girls can prepare a dinner and 
lay a table most creditably indeed, without any assistance or 
oversight from Mrs. Gr. This training is a great advantage to them 
after they leave the mission house. We see a marked differ- 
ence in the management of household affairs between these girls, 
and those who have had no such privilege. Many of them are 
very neat and clean about their person. All are improving in 
this form of civilization, as well as in many other respects. But 
doubtless Mrs. Gr.' tells you all these things in her letters, so that 
I cannot give you any information respecting the customs and 
habits of the Aneiteumese that would be new or interesting. 
But we see many results around us here to encourage us also to 
go forward in the work — believing that Grod will give increase to 
the seed sown in faith. ' ' 

For some time native teachers had been stationed on 
the neighbouring islands of Tanna, Erromanga, Niua, 
and Futuna. These humble agents are found not only 
useful, but almost absolutely necessary as pioneers to 
the missionary among these savage tribes, and after his 
settlement render him invaluable aid. Yet they cannot 
carry on the work themselves beyond a certain point. 
To carry it on thoroughly, it must be taken up by tho- 
roughly instructed missionaries. Three years before, 




LATHELLA, 

X TOUNG CHBISTIAN CHIEF OP ANEITEUM. 



\ 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 217 

in 1857, the Rev. G. N. Gordon and wife settled on 
Erromanga, and had laboured for three years with con- 
siderable encouragement, and without any special dan- 
ger. In the year 1858, the Rev. Messrs. Paton and 
Copeland, from Scotland, and the Rev. Mr. Matheson, 
from Nova Scotia, settled on Tanna. In 1859, the 
Rev. Mr. Inglis returned to Britain, to superintend the 
printing of the New Testament in the Aneiteumese lan- 
guage, and Mr. Copeland took charge of his station on 
Aneiteum. It now became a question where Mr. John- 
ston should be settled. Before deciding upon this, he 
visited the neighbouring islands in the schooner John 
Knox. His proceedings until he finally settled on 
Tanna will appear from his narrative, given in letters 
to the Board. 

" On Thursday, the 6th July, I left Mr. Geddie in 
the John Knox, for the purpose of visiting the neigh- 
bouring islands. Mr. Copeland accompanied me, and 
had chief command of our little vessel. During the 
night we reached Fotuna, and not succeeding to get any 
natives to come off, we lay to until morning, when a 
number of canoes came off to us. We had on board the 
teachers whom they ordered to leave the island some 
montlis ago. They seemed pleased to see the teachers, 
and wished them to return. The teachers themselves 
are willing to return, and we hope they will be replaced 
in their respective stations soon. I was much grieved 
to see the natives apparently much more anxious for 
worldly barter than for the treasures of heaven, that 
are more precious than gold and silver. 

" Futuna is a mountain rising abruptly out of the sea 
to the height of several hundred feet. It has no har- 
19 



218 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

hour, is very rugged and unproductive. The natives 
here are quite different in appearance and language 
from the Western Polynesians. They have evidently 
come from the Eastern Islands. 

" Of Friday afternoon we reached Tanna, whose na- 
tural scenery and apparent fertility are all the eye could 
desire. We received a most warm and affectionate re- 
ception from our dear brother, Mr. Paton, whom we 
found quite well and actively engaged in his work. 

" My first impressions of the Tannese were deep, and 
will be lasting. They have an air of independence and 
indifference which clearly tells you that they have a 
feeling of superiority and safety. Their countenances 
express pride, impudence, and they evidently possess 
great energy of character. Their eye is restless and 
penetrating. They are superior intellectually and phy- 
sically to their neighbours. 

" It is the opinion of many of our friends at home 
that the dangers and trials of mission life are past — 
that others have laboured, and that all that now re- 
mains to be done is to enter into their labours. But 
did our friends fully know the trials, dangers, and af- 
flictions, through which our brother here has passed dur- 
ing the last year, they would feel that the trials and 
dangers of mission life still largely exist. 

" For some time after Mr. Paton was located on 
Tanna the natives did not give him much annoyance ; 
but so soon as the work began to make any perceptible 
progress, the latent hatred and opposition to God's 
work burst forth. When lie commenced to build a 
church a number of chiefs, with their people, assembled 
and orderod him to desist. They said — "We hate Je- 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 219 

hovah, his teachings, his people, and love Satan, his 
worship, and our sins, &c. We fought away Mr. Tur- 
ner and one teacher after another whom you sent to 
teach us. We have now come to fight you (Mr. P.) 
away ; for we know that if you huild that church we will 
never be able to drive you and your worship away. So, 
if you do not leave, we will shoot you.' With that some 
of them raised their guns to shoot him, and one man struck 
at him with a hatchet, but the fatal blow was warded 
off by an Aneiteumese teacher. He then told them 
that they might kill and eat him, but he would not leave 
them — that love to their souls brought him here, that 
his dear wife had died in this cause, and that he would 
die in it too. These words affected one chief, who 
sprang before Mr. P. saying, ' He that kills missi kills 
me.' Others soon imitated him; the strength and 
spirit of the opposition was broken ; the party dis- 
persed; the church is built; the missionary'still lives ; 
and we hope the native's words will be realized — ^ If 
that church is built, we can never drive you and your 
worship from this island.' They said afterwards that 
their arms were powerless, and that they desired to 
shoot him, but could not. They have frequently threat- 
ened to take his life. But with heroic faith and Paul- 
like courage and devotedness to his Master's service he 
remains at his post and refuses to leave it. I trust 
God will effect a great work through our dear brother 
among this savage and cruel people, who have so long 
rejected the gospel and excluded it from their shores. 
Since the scene referred to above, there has been a de- 
cided change for the better, which appears to be extend- 
ing daily. But it is a most critical time. A small 



220 . MEMO III OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

event may lead to the most ruinous results — death of 
the missionary and the exclusion of the gospel from 
Tanna. Many earnest prayers should be offered up by 
the lovers of Zion for Tanna. 

'' As there is no harbour round at Mr. Matheson's 
side of the island we did not see him, but made provi- 
sion to meet him on our return at Port Resolution. 

" We left Tanna at midnight, and reached Dillon's 
Bay Saturday evening too late to land. It was with 
peculiar and indescribable feelings that I set my foot 
upon the blood-stained shores, near the spot where the 
devoted herald of the cross, full of great and glorious 
projects for the glory of God and the regeneration and 
salvation of degraded heathendom, was massacred by 
those whose present and eternal good he so earnestly 
sought. After an ascent of 1000 feet we reached Mr. 
Gordon's station, and received a most cordial welcome 
from him and his amiable lady. We found them both 
in the enjoyment of excellent health. We attended 
native service and found about fifty present, who lis- 
tened to the Divine Word with apparent attention. 
During the last year the mission here has passed through 
sore trials. Prospects of success were blighted, the 
natives who were attending upon their united instruc- 
tions dispersed and returned to their former degrada- 
tion. We hope that this may be the darkness which 
precedes the light of day. At present there are many 
indications that the powers of darkness have been foiled 
in their desperate and malignant efforts, and that al- 
ready there is a growing and deepening reaction iu 
favour of the cause of Christ. Mr. G. is vigorously 
prosecuting the work of translation. He has a class of 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 221 

ten young men, whom he is endeavouring to prepare for 
teachers. Some of these can read very fluently, count, 
and have some knowledge of Geography. Mrs. G. is 
once more gathering around her some girls, whom she 
is instructing. She is patiently labouring on amidst all 
her trials and discouragements. She appears to be truly 
devoted to her work, and well qualified for it. 

"It is most sad to reflect that they meet with power- 
ful opposition, and that their work is greatly retarded 
by foreigners (Europeans.) 

"It is the opinion of all the missionaries that, hu- 
manly speaking, the lives of the missionaries are in 
great jeopardy on Tanna. The sickness which has 
been in the mission families there, the natives attribute 
to the displeasure of the gods on account of the new re- 
ligion. They tell Mr. Paton that the death of his wife 
is an evidence that Christianity is not good. And Mr. 
Paton says that when he accompanied Mr. Matheson to 
his station on his return the heathen appeared greatly 
enraged, and said that he had come to bring sickness 
among them. He says that their lives were in great 
peril on that occasion. The agent who came with us 
from Melbourne to transact business on Tanna, and on 
account of which the schooner sailed for Western Poly- 
nesia, dare not land when he arrived and immediately 
left. They were all terrified, and thought that no man's 
life would be safe. I merely state these things that 
you may know the state of matters as they exist at pr??- 
sent. For, if you know not our circumstances here, 
how is it possible that you can pray aright for us? Do 
not suppose I am discouraged in the least. No! the 
field is full of hope, and full of work. Cease not to 
19 * 



222 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

pray for us fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters, and 
ALL WILL BE WELL. Do not sink into ease or confi- 
dence, or into the other extreme — despondency. Per- 
severe, go forward in faith and hope and prayer, and 
opposition, difficulties, trials, dangers, will disappear, 
just as the darkness flies before the rays of- the rising 
sun. The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with heal- 
ing under his wings and shed forth his gracious in- 
fluences among those benighted people — giving light to 
them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death — 
guiding their feet into the way of peace, and at last 
bringing their souls into eternal glory and felicity. 

" On Thursday, 12th, we sailed from Dillon's Bay, 
and after experiencing heavy seas, head winds, sore 
trials of the patience, and some of the brethren suffer- 
ing severely from sea-sickness, we with much difficulty 
and exertion made a little harbour on Aneiteum, about 
half way between Mr. Inglis's and Mr. Geddie's stations 
on Sabbath evening about sunset. The teacher of the 
district most kindly received us into his house, and 
hospitably entertained us. Here we enjoyed a most com- 
fortable night's repose, after being tossed from wave to 
wave for several nights and days on board the little 
schooner. Oh, what a glorious change has been wrought 
upon this people by the Gospel ! Had we been landed 
on these shores under similar circumstances a few years 
ago, it is not at all improbable that those very persons 
who now showed us so much kindness, and made us so 
comfortable and happy, would have feasted upon our 
bodies, and made our property their own. 

" On Monday afternoon, we all (Mr. and Mrs. Mathe- 
son, Messrs. Gordon, Paton, Cop eland and myself,) 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 223 

some by land, and some by sea, reached Mr. Geddie's 
in safety. After receiving some refreshment and rest 
we assembled together for special prayer, praise, and 
reading of the Scriptures. It was a solemn, pleasing 
meeting. The earnestness and enlargement in prayer 
was marked ; earnest were the pleadings for the oneness 
of the mission, for the comfort and efficiency of each 
missionary, for the conversion of the perishing heathen 
in the surrounding islands, for the universal extension 
of Christ's kingdom in the world, and for a special 
manifestation of the Spirit's influence during our present 
meetings. 

" At 10 o'clock on Tuesday, We met in the new, large, 
substantial, and beautiful church, erected by a people, 
who a few years ago were the most degraded and 
wretched of the heathen tribes of Polynesia. Christiar 
reader : see what God hath wrought ! ! The meeting 
was opened by praise, reading a portion of the Scrip- 
tures, and prayer. The first business brought before 
the meeting was our settlement. After all had ex- 
pressed their minds upon this solemn and important sub- 
ject, it was unanimously agreed, that we should be 
located on Tanna. Thus I have obtained the thing I 
se much desired, and to which I looked forward with so 
much deep anxiety, viz., a unanimous vote of the mis- 
sion brethren, deciding our permanent location. I re- 
gard this vote, as God's voice to us through His servants, 
revealing to us His will respecting our future destina- 
tion. I therefore, feel that Tanna is the particular 
portion of the great mission field, in which Christ would 
have us make known the glad tidings of salvation to 
those who have not yet heard of a Saviour's love ; and 



224 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

that it is His will that we there labour, suffer, and die 
in His service. This I trust will ever be a comfort to 
us hereafter in the work, feeling that whatever may be- 
fall us, we are here by the will of God : and therefore 

IT IS WELL. 

" The subject of settlement being disposed of, the re- 
mainder of the day was spent in deliberations upon sub- 
jects having an important relation to the interests of 
our mission. The most pleasing and marked feature 
of our meetings, was a spirit of disinterestedness 
and mutual forbearance, love, good feeling, kindness 
and unanimity. I never before had the pleasure of be- 
ing present at a meeting, where these pleasing features 
were so marked, where the time was so occupied with 
the important — to the exclusion of the trivial and selfish. 
It was most manifest that those present were under the 
influence of the Spirit ; that our deliberations were 
guided by his gracious influence ; and that we realized 
an answer to that sublime prayer which Christ offered 
up to his Father^ ' That they all may be one ; as Thou 
Father art in me and I in Thee, that they also may be 
one in us, that the world may believe that Thou hast 
sent me." The spirit which has characterized our meet- 
ings throughout, afforded good reasons to hope that 
their results will be both happy and lasting, and that it 
will give a most pleasing impetus to the good work on 
these dark islands. When God's servants are one in 
prayer and action, the adversaries of the truth may 
tremble and saints rejoice — the powers of darkness will 
recoil, and the truth shall have free course to run and 
be glorified. 

*' I need not tell you that our meeting was a time of 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 225 

rejoicing to us all. But doubtless peculiar feelings were 
awakened in the bosoms of the first gospel missionaries 
to these Isles, as they would call to mind the circum- 
stances under which they landed upon this island twelve 
years ago ; the years of disappointments, trials, toil, 
and dangers ; the then wretched condition of the people; 
and now to find themselves seated in a splendid sanc- 
tuary ; surrounded by happy men, women, and children ; 
a band of five young men met in consultation with them- 
selves respecting the extension of the work in which 
they had sufi'ered and for which they had done so much ; 
I say, these and such like reflections would awake in the 
breasts of these devoted servants, feelings unknown to 
those who have followed them ; and only known to those 
who have come through like toils and trials, and who 
possess similar zeal for the glory of God, and sympathy 
for souls in heathenish darkness and degradation. Oh, 
I wish our good friends in Cape Breton, P. E. Island, 
and Nova Scotia, could have looked in upon us, and 
have seen all that transpired, and all the love, harmony, 
sympathy, and good feeling which pervaded our meet- 
ing, and also the results which have been accomplished 
out here through your prayers and contributions. I am 
sure you would not lament having done too much, but 
you would rather praise God, that he had put it into 
your hearts to do something in the noble cause ! 

" On Thursday, after solemn prayer, the mission family 
separated, refreshed, and feeling that living isolated, 
and so seldom seeing each other face to face, had a most 
unhappy effect upon the good work, and upon the feel- 
ings we may entertain towards each other. We there- 
fore parted, resolved that our meetings in future should 



226 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

be more frequent, and that such happy, joyous seasons 
should not henceforth be so few and far between. The 
John Knox sailed during the afternoon, with the return- 
ing missionaries on board, and myself to act as captain. 
Friday we reached Port Resolution, landed Mr. and 
Mrs. Matheson and Mr. Paton, and committed ourselves 
again to the angry deep. The little schooner behaved 
nobly amid the rushing, foaming billows, and Saturday 
morning, a little after sunrise, we came to anchor in 
Dillon's Bay. After an ascent of 1000 feet, we reached 
Mr. Gordon's residence, found his good lady well, and 
that the work had been prospering during his absence. 
On Sabbath about fifty attended divine service, and ap- 
peared quite attentive. The attendance upon Sabbath 
services is gradually increasing. It is pleasing to re- 
mark that there is much to indicate that the excitement 
and superficial interest in the gospel, and the reaction 
and fierce opposition which generally attend the com- 
mencement of a mission are past, and that a permanent 
and radical work has begun, and, though slowly, yet 
gradually and surely advancing. 

" In the evening we took a walk of about a mile, to 
visit a man whose wife had died during the past week. 
We found the man, with the poor little orphans, seated 
near by, sad and disconsolate. The missionary spoke 
to him of the joys beyond the grave through Christ Je- 
sus. When we left the poor man seemed affected, and 
gave indication that he was grateful for our visit, and 
that the word of life had not fallen from the lips of 
God's servant without effect. How sad to mourn with- 
out hope I 

" All that this poor heathen loved in this world is 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 227 

gone. He cannot look forward to a happy meeting. 
There is nothing upon which he can rest his hopes. To 
him the future is dreary, gloomy darkness and uncer- 
tainty — a great and unfathomable mystery. It is a fact 
worthy of notice, that on last Sabbath this woman for 
the first time came to church, and in the absence of the 
missionary, heard the joyous message from the lips of 
his devoted wife, and promised to attend in future. 
This incident has its solemn and instructive lessons. 
She came to hear the gospel for the first time, promised 
to continue, and before the next sun had sunk in the 
west, her soul had passed from time and entered upon 
the unseen realities of the eternal world. Here is a 
voice saying, Gospel hearers, remember, as you from 
Sabbath to Sabbath pass the threshold of your sanctua- 
ries, that before another Sabbath comes round, you may 
be summoned to appear before the great white throne. 
Preacher, remember that you, perhaps, are addressing 
some whom you may not see again until we all meet on 
the great day of final account. Friends of missions, 
observe that through your agency, Christ and the re- 
surrection were spoken to this woman ere she entered 
the eternal world ; and it may be that through this 
word she is now in glory, among those who are redeemed 
out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and na- 
tion. 

" On Monday evening we exhibited a variety of 
Scriptural illustrations, with Mr. Geddie's Mngic Lan- 
tern, to the great astonishmenr of a number of natives. It 
appeared to have a happy effect upon those who were 
present, for they left saying, ' that Religion was a great 
thing, it enabled Missi to do anything. But we hea- 



228 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

then can do nothing, — what is the good of our Chiefs ? 
What can they do ?" 

" On Tuesday, 24, I left our dear friends, after having 
spent a pleasant, and I trust profitable season with them 
— grieved that our friends at home know so little about 
his excellent wife — for she only requires to be known to 
be loved. 

" On Sabbath, July 9th, about 10 o'clock, A. M., we 
came to anchor at Aneiteum. Our homeward voyage 
was rendered tedious by head winds and calms." 

The next few weeks were spent with Mr. Geddie 
getting some lessons in mission life and mission labour, 
and making preparations for their final settlement, 
Black Beach, at the opposite side of the island from 
Port Resolution. But at that time it was not consid- 
ered safe to land there. It was therefore arranged 
that he should reside with Mr. Paton, learning the 
language and giving him all the assistance in his power. 
He was now eager to be at work, although he felt the 
difiiculties that were before him. 

" I long, deeply long to be on the ground and engaged 
in the work. There is a great work to be done on Tan- 
na. It is a rugged, but most interesting and important 
field of labour. It is said to be the Sebastopol of Sa- 
tan's kingdom in the New Hebrides. The overthrow 
of Tanna would give a crushing blow to the reign of 
darkness on these islands. The Tannese are a people 
who have hitherto offered a most determined opposition 
to the introduction of the gospel among them ; are a 
terror to foreigners, (not one of whom dare reside on 
the island at present), and live in continual warfare with 
eac'i other. But let continual prayer ascend from the 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 229 

church for this mission, and you will soon, hear glad ti- 
dings of the Avonderful doings of the Lord on dark, 
cruel, gospel-hating Tanna. 

" Since the date of my last letter I have been variously 
employed, yet I trust always occupied so as to advance 
the work which brought me here. A portion of this 
time was spent in the John JC710X, in the trips to the ad- 
joining isles, in visiting schools, in attending native 
missionary meetings on Aneiteum, and so on. Time 
thus passed away rapidly — most pleasantly, and I trust 
profitably. I do feel grateful that I have been per- 
mitted to behold the happy and glorious results, which 
have been effected here through the blessed gospel. In 
travelling thus, I have gained some experience, which 
may hereafter turn to good account. The native mis- 
sionary meetings were delightful, and their results I 
trust will powerfully stimulate our people at home, to 
increased efforts, for the spread of the gospel in these 
seas. A people so recently reclaimed from heathenism, 
darkness, and degradation, now engaged in the exten- 
sion of the Redeemer's kingdom, is a fact that demands 
the liveliest gratitude. In these results you have tangi- 
ble evidence that the day is not far distant when the 
Aneiteumese will support the means of grace among 
themselves. 

" On Monday, Sept. 10, we sailed for Tanna, 
leaving many to whom we had become much attached, 
and who appeared equally attached to us. I may say 
in one word, that our stay on Aneiteum has been most 
pleasant — pleasant in our intercourse with the mission- 
brethren and the natives — pleasant in the kindness we 
20 



230 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

received from all — and pleasant in the growing sense 
that our time there has been most profitably spent. 

" Mr. Geddie accompanied «s. We made an attempt 
to land at Mr. Matheson's station, but the wind in- 
creasing we were unable to effect a landing ; were blown 
out of our course, and did not reach Port Resolution 
until Wednesday a little after dark. And now, we have 
reached our destination. In all the way in which we 
have come, we have seen the hand of Him, who saidy 
'Lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the 
world.' We are thus encouraged to believe that our 
presence here is in accordance with his blessed com- 
mand, has his sanction, and that he will be with us stilL 

" Here we hope to spend the rest of the days allotted 
to us, in this vale of tears. Henceforward, therefore, 
it will be our duty to give you a faithful account of our 
labours on this dark island, the condition of the wretched 
people, the state of the work of evangelization, and 
such other items of information as may b.e instructive 
or in any way calculated to excite interest in this sa- 
cred cause — the work of God on this isle. But how 
difficult to portray before the mind, so as to give an ac- 
curate impression of things unseen — never seen. It is 
one thing to read about these isles and islanders, and 
quite another thing to see, and live among them. The 
efficacy of the prayer of our people, on behalf of the 
Mission on this island, must ever largely depend upon 
the fulness and accuracy of the information they re- 
ceive respecting this work. If then, our letters at any 
time, are dark and gloomy, let them be a stimulant to 
earnest prayer ; if bright and cheering, let them be a 
matter of gratitude and thanksgiving," 



FROM MELBOURNE TO THE NEW HEBRIDES, 231 



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232 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 



CHAPTER X. 

JLABOTJJRS ON TANNA. 

Tanna, upon which Mr. Johnston was now stationed, 
is situated in 19° 30' S. Lat. and 169° SO'E. Long., 
and is thus about eight days sail from Sydney. It is a 
large island compared with some in the neighbourhood, 
hence its name Tanna Sore, or the great land. It is 
about thirty miles in length from north-west to south- 
east, and from nine to twelve in breadth. 

It is the most beautiful island of the southern division 
of the New Hebrides. A high mountain rises in the 
centre, which is covered with verdure to its summit, 
while the rest of the island is agreeably diversified with 
hill and dale, all of it fertile. "It is mountainous," 
says the Rev. A. W. Murray, " but the mountains 
being generally rather low and round, or table-topped, 
and covered with dense forests to their summits, it ap- 
pears soft and beautiful rather than grand and imposing. 
' The purple peak, the pointed spire,' the frowning bat- 
tlement, and hoary cliff, which look so grand and pic- 
turesque on many of the islands of Polynesia are not 
found on Tanna. It has however its own beauties and 
objects of interest many and great." 

The most prominent object in approaching is the vol- 



LABOURS ON TANNA. 233 

caiio, which serves as a lighthouse, the light of which 
can never be mistaken. It has been in incessant ac- 
tivity since the day of Captain Cook, and probably long 
before, its eruption taking place at intervals from five 
to eight minutes. 

" Tanna," says Mr. Copeland, ^* as a whole may be 
said to be composed of two parts, the high and the 
low. All the south end of the island as far as Port 
Resolution is high ; and from Port Resolution onward 
to the north of the island it is much lower. In both 
divisions you may find the cultivated land near the 
shore, but the appearance of the high land in the low 
division is quite difi'erent. In the south the mountains 
are covered with trees to their summits ; whereas in the 
north the hills produce grass only. In the south there 
is not much table land, in the north the whole may be 
described as t^ble land." 

The island is amazingly fertile. Yams, taro, bread- 
fruit, cocoanuts, sugar cane, and bananas grow in abun- 
dance, and some fruits which are not common in East- 
ern Polynesia, such as figs. The yam is principally 
cultivated, and the size of some is enormous. Dr. 
Turner says he has seen them 4 feet in length, and 
weighing from 40 to 50 pounds, while Captain Cook 
speaks of one which weighed 55 pounds. 

It was first discovered in 1774 by Captain Cook, who 
also discovered the harbour, the native name of which 
is Ilea, but which he called Port Resolution, after the 
name of his ship. It was here that Mr. Johnston was 
stationed. It is a tolerable harbour situated on the north 
side of the island. It is a bay or creek about three 
quarters of a mile deep and about half a mile wide, 
20* 



234 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

formed on the east by a neck of low land, and on the 
west by a mountain five hundred feet high. The in- 
terior of this mountain seems like a furnace, and the 
crust is so thin, that walking over it in some places 
seems like walking over a hot iron plate, and from fis- 
sures in various places volumes of steam and sulphurous 
vapours are seen rising. Yet it is covered with vegeta- 
tion, and contains several villages inhabited by about 
five hundred persons. So little apprehension of danger 
have they, that their villages are so arranged, that these 
hot places should be in the centre of them, where their 
public meetings and night dances take place, and where 
on cold days they lounge and enjoy themselves. Hot 
springs abound, varying in temperature, some forming 
a pleasant tepid bath, others rising to 190° Eahrenheit, 
and even some above the boiling point. ' Every day,' 
says Dr. Turner, ^ you may see the women there cook- 
ing their yams and other vegetables, in hollow places 
dug out, and which form a series of never failing boiling 
pots. The men and boys have only to stand on the 
rocks, spear their fish, and pitch them behind them 
into the hot springs. Sulphur is abundant.' " 

About five miles from Port Resolution is the cone of 
the volcano. Around it is a barren valley of a mile 
wide, formed by the black sandy dust and ashes from 
the crater. The mountain itself is thus described by 
Dr. Turner : — 

*' The ascent up the mountain to the edge of the cup 
is a gradual slope, but the walking is laborious, as you 
sink to the ankles at every step in the fine dark gray 
dust or sand, which has accumulated from the eruptions 
of the volcano. The perpendicular height of the crater 



LABOURS ON TANNA. 235 

from the valley at its base is almost three hundred feet. 
When you reach the edge of the cup, you see that it is 
oblong, and curved rather than circular, and about a 
mile and a-half in circumference. On reaching the top 
and looking over the edge, you expect to see the boiling 
lava ; but instead of that, the great cup contains five 
other smaller cups, or outlets, separated from each other 
by ridges of dark sand. To see the boiling lava, you 
would require to go down inside the outer cup, and then 
up one of these interior ridges. Were it solid rock, the 
attempt might be made, but from the fragile sandy ap- 
pearance of these smaller ridges, it seems as if it would 
be sure to slip, and down you go. Then again, 
you never know the moment there is to be an eruption, 
nor do you know from which of the five outlets it is to 
come. I felt no inclination to risk the experiment, 
which would be something like examining the interior 
of the mouth of a cannon, not knowing the instant it 
might go ofi*. You feel that you are far enough when 
you stand on the edge of the outer cup. The hissing, 
panting, blowing, and strange unearthly sounds from 
these great gulfs, as you look down and along, are fear- 
ful, and presently you are awe-struck with the thunder- 
ing, deafening roar of an eruption, which baffles de- 
scription. The simultaneous bursting of a number 
of steam-engine boilers, or the explosion of a ton 
of gunpowder, or the united volley from a regiment 
or two of infantry and artillery, might be something 
like it. Then up fly the great crimson flakes of liquid 
lava, which gradually blacken, and consolidate, and de- 
scend. More solid blocks of stone fly up with these 
softer masses, and rise far above them, to a heiglit of 



236 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

two and three hundred feet from the edge of the cup. 
The most of this matter falls right down again into the 
crater. It sometimes takes a slant, however, as you 
see from the masses of obsidian or volcanic glass and 
scoriae all about, so that you require to have your wits 
about you, keep a Jook-out overhead, and be ready to 
*^ stand from under.' 

" Clouds of steam and thick black smoke also rise with 
every eruption. This smoke goes, of course, with the 
prevailing wind, and the atmosphere for miles in that 
direction is charged with the dark volcanic dust. The 
volcano was to the west of where we lived. The first 
day we had a westerly wind Mr. Nisbet and I were busy 
out of doors, putting up the roof of our house. We felt 
a strange sensation about the eyes and nostrils, and 
could not imagine what it was which was gathering on 
our hands and arms. Presently we discovered that the 
clouds of black dust from the volcano were coming in 
our direction, and that the atmosphere was loaded with 
the finest dark-gray particles. Next morning every 
leaf and blade of glass was covered with a thin coating 
of something like the finest steel filings." 

As some account of the productions of these islands 
may be desired by some of our readers, we subjoin 
the following account written by Mr. Copeland, with 
special reference to Aneiteum, but equally applicable to 
Tanna. 

" In the forest we have a' large supply of timber, dur- 
able, tough, and easily wrought. It is true, we have 
neither the oak of England, nor the ash and larch of 
Scotland ; but we have the banyan, the Kauri pine, the 
iron tree, and a host of others. Aneiteum is far supe- 




NATIVES AND TOLCANO. 



LABOUllS OiV TANNA. 2S7 

rior to Tanna and Erromanga in respect of timber. It 
supplies abundance of wood for fuel, and also for the 
purposes of house-huilding, from the light rods required 
for the roof up to that sawn into boards for flooring. 
The greater part of the wood employed in constructing 
both the extensive mission-houses here was grown on 
the island. Mr. Gordon's first house on Erromanga, 
and both the mission-houses on Tanna, were built of 
Aneiteum wood. And when you remember that a house 
here is composed of thatch, plaster, and timber, you can 
easily see that the quantity of the last so employed can- 
not be small. Some of the Kauri is found suitable for 
yards and spars. 

"Of trees of another class — viz., fruit-hearing — we 
may mention, first of all, the cocoa-nut palm, the rein- 
deer of the Polynesian. Every part of it is put to some 
useful purpose by the natives. It differs from the trees 
with you, inasmuch as it is endogenous — i. e., does not 
increase in size by adding yearly a layer of new wood 
immediately under the bark. If you take a section of 
a larch near the root, you can, by counting its concen- 
tric circles, ascertain the ag^of the tree pretty exactly. 
It is not so with the palms ; the cocoa-nut has no such 
circles or successive layers. It is as thick at the root 
when seven years of age, and twenty feet in height, as 
when fifty years old, and sixty feet high. The tall, 
tapering, corrugated trunk is quite bare ; it has no 
branches, but is surmounted by a tuft of feather-like 
leaves, ten or twelve feet in length, the nuts being found 
at their junction with the stem. In ' Anderson's Geo- 
graphy,' (Nelson and Sons, Edinburgh,) page 205, it is 
said — ^ The cocoa palm may be regarded as the staff of 



238 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

life to the Polynesian. He reposes beneath its shade, 
eats its fruit, and the juice of its nuts supplies him with 
a delicious draught. The shells of the nuts furnish him 
with beautiful goblets, and the boughs of the trees are 
formed into baskets ; the dry trunks kindle his fires, 
while their fibres are twined into fishing-lines and cords. 
His hut is thatched with its boughs, and his canoe is 
impelled through the water with a paddle formed of its 
wood.' This may appear a highly coloured description, 
but I am not sure that it mentions all its virtues. It 
likewise supplies a kind of coarse cloth, which has been 
made into garments on the Eastern Islands ; the leaves 
form the native carpets and blankets, and other por- 
tions supply their brooms and baling dishes. Even the 
husks of the nuts, that are regarded here as an incum- 
brance from their number, are taken across the seas, 
and sold in Britain to scrub wooden floors. It also 
yields an abundance of oil, by the light of some of 
which I write you this letter. Mention is made in the 
above quotation of the milk of the cocoa-nut, which is 
said to form a delicious draught. It is really so ; it is 
cool, and most carefully fteed from all impurities ; it is 
prepared far from the ground in an air-tight receptacle, 
which expands as the fluid increases, and it is nicely 
sweetened and acidulated by the hand of the bountiful 
Creator. 

" The tree flourishes on poor as well as on rich soils; 
and though within the reach of the sea, its milk is not 
in the least afi*ected. The nuts are found all the year 
round, and supply food and drink, requiring no pre- 
paration. 

" We may now turn to the bread-fruit, another im- 



LABOURS ON TANNA. 239 

portant source of native food. The tree itself is not 
unlike the 'spreading beech.' The fruit is the most 
valuable part. It is of a beautiful light green colour, 
and three or four inches in diameter. It is all edible 
except the rind and core, and can be prepared in a very 
short time by roasting it on hot embers. It is in season 
for some time about the beginning of the year ; and 
what is not required at the time, is subjected to a slight 
fermentation, and laid up for future use. 

"Ellis, in his 'Polynesian Researches,' says, 'It has 
but little taste, and that is frequently rather sweet ; it 
is somewhat farinaceous, but not so much so as several 
other vegetables, and probably less so than the English 
potato, to which in flavour it is also inferior. It is 
slightly astringent, and, as a vegetable, it is good, but 
is a very indifferent substitute for English bread.' 

" The bark of this tree can be made into cloth ; its 
juice, which becomes hard on exposure to the air, serves 
the purposes of pitch, and the trunk can be aawn into 
boards, which^are easily wrought and very durable. 

" We have also the hanixna. It can hardly be called 
a tree, though it grows to a considerable height. Its 
leaves are light green and very large, four feet by three. 
The fruit is about nine inches in length, curved and 
pentagonal. It grows in a bunch like Indian corn, 
sometimes to the number of 250 upon one stalk, and 
just as much as a man can carry. When Mr. Inglis 
was here, one bunch was cut down, which he said would 
form a substantial meal for thirty men. It does not 
ripen on the tree, but requires to be hung up in a house, 
and here it soon becomes yellow, and is ready for being 
eaten. A plant produces fruit but once, and then dies, 



240 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTOX. 

its place being supplied by suckers "which have risen up 
ill! around, to bear in their turn and then decay. 

" We have also the sugar-cane — a kind of tall pointed 
grass, eight or ten feet in height, and nine inches in 
circumference. Its juice is not converted into sugar 
here, nor does it stand high as an article of diet. It is 
very refreshing to the traveller, however, as it serves to 
appease, to some extent, both hunger and thirst. 

'' We come now to speak of taro^ the staff of life of 
the Aneiteumese. It is an underground product like 
the potato. It has a large, solid, tuberous root, of an 
oblong shape, sometimes fifteen inches in length, and 
twelve in circumference. The taros are two or three 
feet in height and heart-shaped. When roasted, it re- 
sembles as much as any other root the Irish potato. 
There are two things about this plant worthy of notice. 
In the first place, if attempted to be eaten raw, it is so 
acrid and pungent as to cause great pain, if not exco- 
riation of the mouth ; and, in the second place, it grows 
only to perfection in a marsh, or other ^place deluged 
with water. 

" The yam is another source of native food. Per- 
haps in no place in the world, does it grow so well as 
on Tanna. There one of them is a sufficient load for 
two persons. It is quite common to see specimens four 
feet in length, and eighteen in circumference. Occa- 
sionally they attain to the length of a full-sized man. 
Their substance is somewhat fibrous, granular, farina- 
ceous, and sweet. 'They require a good deal of atten- 
tion when growing. The part above ground is long, 
slender, and creeping, and requires to be supported by 
a frame-work of reeds or wood, which it very soon con- 



LAHUUKtr C)>; TANNA. 241 

ceals under a mass of leaves. When I saAv the natives 
on Tanna training their yams, I was always reminded 
of those happy days of old, when men wedded the vine 
to the elm. Unlike the taro, the yam, when ripe, will 
keep for several months. The method of propagating 
it is that employed in the case of the potato — a small 
part having an eye in it being put into the ground to 
germinate. 

" In addition to these, there are many other fruits of 
different sorts — some of them cultivated and others pro- 
duced spontaneously — that are resorted to by the na- 
tives for a change, and when the others are scarce. 

" Arrowroot grows wild ; tapioca, melons, citrons, 
pine-apples, figs, oranges, &c., have been introduced, 
and thrive well. We have cotton, too, which has been 
much spoken about of late. Our cabbage is the leaf of 
a tree, our carpets are made of vegetable materials, and 
the shoe-blacking grows just at the door. 

" I have already told you that we have no slate ; and 
as we have not the cereals, we have no straw for thatch. 
Tiles might perhaps be made with some trouble ; but 
they, as well as slates, galvanized iron, and corrugated 
zinc, while durable, would, I fear, be uncomfortably hot. 
We have a copious supply of this necessary item in the 
reed, and the leaves of the pandanus, cocoa-nut, and 
sugar-cane. No one can fail on coming here lo be 
struck with the preponderance of vegetable over animal 
food — with the quantities in which it is supplied — with 
the fertility of the soil, producing often three crops at 
the same time, in tree?, shrubs, and underground plants 
— and the rapidity of growth and decay. 

" And now let us leave the land, and glance for a 
21 



242 MEMOIR OF S, F. JOHNSTON. 

moment at the sea that encircles. We have a great cir- 
cular breakwater, for whose stability we never tremblCy 
in the works of the coral-insect. This little creature 
thus bj its labours protects our island, beautijfies our 
coast, and supplies us with a store of the purest lime. 
The sea teems with fish, some good and others bad, and 
some which do not appear to be altogether from home 
when out of the water. The whole may be seen rolling 
and tumbling about on shore, as well as the voracious 
shark. Here, too, may be seen and tasted the turtle, 
which is more like flesh than fish." 

As Mr. Matheson was so much longer on the island, 
we shall reserve a fuller account of the natives till we 
come to narrate his history, but one peculiarity con- 
nected with them we must here notice, as it will frcr 
quently come under our review in the subsequent nar- 
ratives, viz., their ideas regarding disease. " The real 
gods at Tanna," says Dr. Turner, "may be said to be 
the disease-makers. It is surprising how these men are 
dreaded, and how firm the belief is that they have in 
their hands the power of life and death. There are 
rain-makers and thunder-makers, and fly and musquito- 
makers, and a host of other 'sacred men,' but the dis- 
ease-makers are the most dreaded. It is believed that 
these men can create disease and death by burning what is 
called nahak. Nahak means rubbish, but principally 
refuse of food. Everything of the kind they bury or 
throw into the sea, lest the disease-makers should get 
hold of it. These fellows are always about, and con- 
sider it their special business to pick up and burn, with 
certain formalities, anything in the nah^k line which 
comes in their way. 



LABOUES 1>N TANNA, 243 

^^ When a person is taken ill, he believes that it is 
occasioned by some one burning his rubbish. Instead 
of thinking about medicine, he calls some one to blow a 
shell, a large conoh or other shell, which, when perfo- 
rated and blown, can be heard two or three miles oiF, 
The meaning of it is to implore the person who is sup- 
posed to be burning the sick man's rubbish and causing 
all the pain, to stop burning; and it is a promise as 
well that a present will be taken in the morning. The 
greater the pain the more they blow the shell, and when 
the pain abates they oease, supposing that the disease- 
maker has been kind enough to stop burning. Then 
the friends of the sick man arrange about a present to 
take in the morning. Pigs, mats, knives, hatchets, 
beads, whales' teeth, etc., are the sort of things taken. 
Some of the disease-making craft are always ready to 
receive the presents, and to assure the party that they 
will do their best to prevent the rubbish being again 
burned. If the poor man has another attack at night, 
he thinks the nahak is again burning ; the shell is again 
blown, other presents taken, and so they go on. ' All 
that a man hath will he give for his life,' and if he 
dies, his friends lay it all down to the disease-makers, 
as not being pleased with the presents taken, and as 
having burned the rubbish to the end. The idea is, 
that whenever it is all burned the person dies. Night 
after night might be heard the dismal too-too-tooing of 
these shells. >We observed, also, that the belief in the 
system of nahak burning was as firm in the craft as out 
of it. If a disease-maker was ill himself, he felt sure 
that some one must be burning his nahak. He, too, 



244 MExMOIR, OJ^' ». F. JOHNSTON. 

must have a shell blown, and presents sent to the party 
supp'osed to be causing the mischief. 

" Coughs, influenza, dysentery, and some skin dis- 
eases, the Tannese attribute to their intercourse with 
white men, and call them foreign things.''' 

Mr. Johnston was now at length settled on a heathen 
island. His labours among its inhabitants, and the 
state of society among them, will appear from his 
letters. In September he thus writes : 

'' Though my experience of heathen lands is only commencing, 
yet I have seen enough to make me realize in quite a new sense, 
the awful, the dismal darkness, the consummate degradation, 
and awful wretchedness of heathenism. Such is Tanna ! Poor 
Tanna ! Long has she resisted the efforts which have been put 
forth to give her the light and blessing of the glorious gospel. 
Some have been driven from the field; others have suffered 
cruel death ; others have fallen on the field ; others have en- 
dured trials seldom equalled. Still they resist, still they refuse 
to receive the gospel message, and threaten the destruction of 
all connected with this work. Shall all this loss of life, these 
sufi'erings, trials, labours, and prayers be lost? Surely not. 
Doubtless the happy harvest will come, when the sheaves shall 
be gathered with great rejoicing. But it still looks dark. I 
speak the minds of all the brethren in Tanna, when I say we 
have no evidence that there is a single person on this dark isle, 
who is living under the saving influence of Divine truth. But 
I do fondly hope that the work of preparation for this glorious 
change is going on. The Tannese are divided into numerous 
tribes or clans, that live in a state of enmity, ever fighting with 
and devouring each other. At present these petty fightings 
have ceased — peace is universal. This we regard as quite a new 
era in the history of Tanna. Cannibalism also, so far as known 
to us, is at an end. The strangling of widows on the death of a 
chief has received a check. On this side of the island the Sab- 
bath is acknowledged, and a large number of the people cease 



labours' on tanna, 245 

from labour. These changes are the results of G-od's blessing 
upon missionary efforts, and are preparing the soil for the seeds 
of Divine truth. Remember, we onl)'^ speak yet of the work of 
preparation going on. The people still live in the love and 
practice of the most vile and brutish sins — sins which it is a 
shame to mention. 

' ' In regard to ourselves we are fully occupied with the lan- 
guage. Here we have various difficulties to contend with which 
are unknown to the learners of wyitten languages. The lexicon, 
the grammar, the translation, the teacher, &€., are all wanting. 
You hear a jargon of strange sounds; but have no means of as- 
certaining their meaning. This chaos of sounds, you have to 
learn, to analyze, to classify, and to apply to a purpose entirely 
new. This is our present work — difficult in the extreme. We 
find the knowledge which we acquired of the Aneiteumese to be 
of great service. 

"Mr. Paton and I have made some efforts of late to extend 
our influence on Tanna. The John Knox, a few weeks ago, was 
placed at our disposal, in order to aid us in this work. We 
sailed in her for the purpose of holding communication with all 
the various ports of Tanna accessible by water. We left Mrs. 
Johnston alone, amid a savage people ; and without an indi- 
vidual to whom she could speak. 

"Were the circumstances under which she was left, fully 
stated, perhaps this would be considered an act on her part of 
humble faith and Christian heroism, equal to those which on 
some occasions have made a loud sound in the world. 

"We first visited Aniwa, where we saw many evidences that 
the work of Grod is prospering in the hands of Aneiteumese 
teachers. The people earnestly solicited us to remain and teach 
them. They urged that it was not fair to have two Missis at 
the harbour, and none on their island, that the Tannese were 
very bad, that they hated 3Iissi, that the people here loved 
Missi. and would listen to his word, and when they got more 
light would go and help to teach the Tannese. We remained on 
shore some hours, endeavouring to strengthen the hands of the 
teachers, and left quite delighted with what we saw. 

* ' We failed in holding communication ae frequently as we had 
21 - 



246 MEMOIR OF S. *F. JOHNSTON. 

hoped with the Tannese, as we sailed along the coast. On the 
second day we reached Wacus, or Black Beach, which is a good 
anchorage, and next in importance to the harbour. The people 
seemed quite alarmed at our approach ; drew up their canoes ; 
and fled to the bush. You will remember that this is the place 
where several bloody collisions have taken place between the na- 
tives and foreigners. Here H. M. S. Iris lost one or two men, 
and in return, fired upon the natives, and spent several days in 
destroying their plantations, houses, &c. No foreigners dare land 
here unless well protected. Such is the harbour in which we 
lay, and such the people with whom we were endeavouring to 
hold communication. We lay at anchor here all night, and 
until about 10 o'clock, A. M., next day. All our eiForts to in- 
duce them to come off to us seemed to be ineffectual. At length, 
when we were about giving up in despair, a canoe with the prin- 
cipal chief and three others was observed advancing towards us. 
With much difficulty we induced them to come near. We gave 
them some presents, which seemed greatly to remove their fears. 
We explained to them, as well as we could, our object in visiting 
them. 

"Persons visiting for the single purpose of doing them good 
seemed to be quite a new idea to them and filled them with as- 
tonishment. When they were leaving we jumped into their 
canoe, placing ourselves in their power, and under the protec- 
tion of Him whose cause we were endeavouring to advance. 
When we reached the shore the chief explained to his wonder- 
ing people our object in visiting them, who, when they heard, 
received us with open arms, conducted us to their ertihonu, 
where we soon had a crowd around us. After conversing with 
them for some time we held worship with them, where the only 
living and true Grod was never before acknowledged. When we 
were leaving they offered us presents of various kinds, offered 
land for mission houses, &c. We refused their presents, wish- 
ing to impress upon their minds that our single object in coming 
was to do them good. The winds being unfavourable we pro- 
ceeded no farther, but headed for home, which we reached on 
Sabbath morning. 

"We hope that our visit will open up a station at Wacus, 



LABOURS ON TANNA. 247 

from which point we will be able to operate upon that half of 
Tanna which has -not yet, to any extent, been brought under 
mission influence. True, the impressions we made upon their 
dark minds may pass away as a fleeting shadow, but let us water 
them with our prayers and use the means, and He who disposed 
these savages to receive us kindly, and to request some one to 
teach them, will deepen the impressions made, and prepare some 
one to occupy the field and to stand up for and publish the 
truth as it is in Jesus. The John Knox will visit it again in 
the course of a few weeks and station two Aneiteumese teachers 
there. If everything goes on prosperously it is probable that 
in the course of a few months we may have a station there. 

' ' The difficulties which beset your mission on Tanna are many 
and complicated. BaheVs curse has fallen with awful severity 
upon this people. The inhabitants are divided into a number 
of tribes occupying districts less in extent than our counties — 
each district speaking a dififerent dialect. We have not yet been 
able to ascertain accurately the number of dialects spoken on 
this island. They are not less than five, and may be as many as 
eight. The dialect spoken on that part of Tanna occupied by 
the mission at present is spoken hy a larger number of people, 
and is more known over the island than any other. Just as in 
Nova Scotia you have the Anglo-Saxon, the Irish, Gaelic, Ger- 
man, and French. But the Anglo-Saxon is spoken by far the 
largest number, and understood to a great extent by all those 
who speak the other languages. We hope to make one transla- 
tion of the Scriptures do. For a time many difficulties will at- 
tend its introduction among those speaking a diff"erent dialect. 
Many will not understand. But we cannot entertain the idea 
of having a number, or even two translations for one island the 
size of Tanna. The missionary who is stationed among those 
speaking a difierent dialect from the one selected for the trans- 
lation of the Scriptures will have many trying and perplexing 
difficulties to contend with. It is quite probable this will be our 
position. 

" I hope that ere long we will be able to write you more fully 
and accurately respecting these things. Since writing the above 
I have been informed that the widow of a chief who died a few 



248 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

days ago was strangled last night. This cruel deed was done a 
.short distance from the mission premises. Darkness and cruelty 
sti41 reign triumphant on Tanna. ' ' 

To the above we may add Mr. Paton's account of a 
visit to one of a series of meetings which were held 
in celebration of the establishment of peace among the 
different tribes. 

" Our people having agreed to live in peace, their enemies 
called a meeting and passed the same resolution, and armed two 
powerful young chiefs, appointing them to come to the mission 
house at midnight, and let me know the result of their meeting. 
Next morning I sent for our chiefs and informed them of my 
visitors and their message, which led to a great meeting being 
called, at which they enjoyed a united feast and became friends ; 
and since, those who for many years previously never met ex- 
cept in war, have been daily feasting together and making pre- 
sents to each other in the most friendly manner. 

" On Friday last, all the harbour people were invited to at- 
tend a meeting about seven miles inland, but they said, ' If missi 
will not accompany us we will not go ;' so Mr. Johnston and 1 
went at the head of a very large and noisy procession, loaded 
with pigs, and presents for the inland people ; behind us was a 
herald making the bush echo with his trumpet- shell, announc- 
ing our approach ; next to him were the leading men, followed 
by their people all yelling and singing as if bereft of reason. 
Some of the leading men had the honour to sit or stand on the 
backs of pigs, carried on their men's shoulders, which made the 
cries of the poor creatures add to the deafening noise. Our peo- 
ple clubbed eighteen fat pigs, and gave other gifts to the inland 
people, who in return, gave eight large pigs and other presents 
to our people. The day was spent making and hearing speeches 
all of a peaceful, friendly character. I was invited to address 
the meeting, after which the chiefs unitedly declared that this 
day had put an end to all their fighting and bad conduct, and 
that now they would live in peace and learn to worship Jehovah. 
Our leading chief said. ' We all, who follow missi, are his 



LABOURS UN TANNA. 249 

friends, and obey his word, and you see we are many ; and we 
tvant all the inland people to return in peace, and worship Je- 
hovah. Let us have one talk, and one conduct, and one heart. 
Before we began to fight, we were many like the sand, but now 
we are few, and yet hating and killing each other in the service 
of Karipanamun (Satan.) Will we all live in peace now, and 
hear and obey the word of Jehovah, or what will we do ?' A 
great inland chief answered for all, saying, ' Your word is good. 
We have done with war and bad conduct. Missi's friends are 
many. Let us all be his people, and learn to worship Jehovah. 
You have fought with us, and we have fought with you, till our 
people are nearly all killed. We who are left are old men. Let 
us live in peace, and every one go to his own land without fight- 
ing. Missi, this day is the finish to our bad conduct.' After 
consulting for a little, some of the principal men said, ' Missi, 
the path is very long for you to come often and see us, and teach 
us all ; but if you would get a horse, you would be able to come 
every day, for we are all ready to hear the word of Jehovah. ' I 
said a horse would destroy their plantations ; but they answered, 
' Never mind — get a horse and come often and see us all. ' 

"In company with Mr. Johnston, about six weeks ago, I visi- 
ted Waisisi, a district about eight miles from Port Resolution. 
We found a good boat harbour, seemingly a large population, 
and two of the principal chiefs with many of their people wait- 
ing to receive us. They drew our boat ashore — conducted us to 
a public ground, listened attentively to all we said, allowed us to 
conduct worship with them, received a few presents from us, 
and invited us to come again and see them, but would not at 
present accept of Aneiteum teachers, for they wanted to go to 
war, and were afraid of the worship. We advised them to live 
in peace, and we have heard no more of the war. Some of the 
chiefs have since visited us, and appeared very friendly. We 
had a harbour chief with us, who was related to them, and who 
influenced them in our favour. They offered us a present of 
pigs and yams, but we refused, saying, we had not come to take 
away their food, but to instruct them to fear and worship Je- 
hovah." 



250 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

The following letter was written to the minister of 
the congregation in which he had been brought up, and 
to the congregation through him, with the view of en- 
deavouring to present before them the actual state of the 
heathen, and thus enlisting their sympathies more 
deeply in their behalf. 

"It will be my object to portray before your minds- some of 
those scenes amid which we now live — scenes which should be 
deeply interesting to you alL 

' ' First,- then, the female portion of society. Their degrada- 
tion and oppression are consummate. The dictates of the hus- 
band are supreme — from these there is no redress. Clubbing is 
the punishment for disobedience, or any offence, real or imagin- 
ary. Their limbs are frequently broken, the body cruelly man- 
gled, and the person disabled for days, or it may be for life. 
You meet a man on the path, walking along at his ease, with a 
club or some weapon of war in his hand, his wife or wives fol- 
lowing, bending under heavy burdens of food, water, wood for 
the fire, &c. They labour in the plantations, digging up the 
earth with their hands or sticks, making fences, &c. The daugh- 
ters are given away in infancy, or when mere children, to chiefs 
— generally men up in years — who use them as wives. Hence- 
forward, their life is to be one continued scene of licentiousness, 
oppression, and toil. Poor creatures ! They never know what 
it is to enjoy freedom, so richly enjoyed by our women. Poor, 
degraded women, they are made subservient to sensual gratifi- 
cation — prostituted to the lowest and most debasing purposes. 
They are made to drink the bowl of sensual pleasure to its very 
dregs ; and ah ! they realize in all its bitterness that fleshly plea- 
sure ends in pain, sorrow, and death. 

^' She prepares food for her husband, but dare not so much 
as touch or taste it in his presence. After he has eaten, what 
is left he throws to her. This she eats in solitude. Her house 
is a little reed hut little larger than herself, affording shelter 
from neither cold, rain, nor storm. Into this she crawls, lies 
apon the ground, on a few leaves, or a mat spread upon the 



LABOURS ON TANNA< 



:251 



earth, her pillow a round stick, raised a few inches from the 
earth. It is not unusual for the husband to take her child a few 
days after its birth and sell it to some chief. Her dress consists 
of grass fasten-ed to a cord and tied round her waist, which but 
imperfectly covers her nakedness. (See cut. ) There are none 
to defend her rights, none to befriend her, none to sympathize. 




Such is her condition, her life from the time she is capable of 
enjoying life, until, in general, at a premature age, her body re- 
turns to the dust, and her spirit to Him who gave it. Mothers, 
sisters, daughters, have you hearts to feel ? Surely there could 
not exist anything more calculated to excite sympathy than the 
condition of your sisters on this dark isle ! 

' ' I will now say a few words respecting their public meetings. 
Some of these appear to be after the style of our soirees or par- 
ties. One village invites a number to attend upon a certain day. 
On the day appointed, you see crowds gathering in from all 
quarters. But instead of loads of fine china and confectionery, 
3'ou see men bearing on their shoulder two live hogs bound to 
poles — sometimes a man sitting upon the pig's back. When 
they come into the centre of the ground, a person appointed for 
the purpose strikes the pigs on the head. They then let them 
fall to the ground, r.nd beat them with clubs till they are dead. 



252 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

This cruel slaughter of animals seems to fill the whole comx)any 
with wild delight. Next come men laden with Kava, which is 
their grog. The same thing occurs at home, when you see a 
person carrying a bottle of whisky or a keg of rum in his car- 
riage to some gathering. Various other things are brought and 
laid down before the assembled crowd. The ground on which 
these meetings are held is the marum, or dancing ground of the 
village. These generally occupj^ a lovelj'^ spot under the wide- 
spreading branches of the trees. After some time is spent in 
making general arrangements and conversation, the speaking 
commences. The speakers are chiefs or their counsellors. 
When these orators wish to show particular honour to the meet- 
ing and to interest the audience, they sing a portion of their ad- 
dress. The speaker walks the length of the ground occupied 
by him while speaking. While doing so, he sings a verse. He 
returns in silence, apparently composing another verse. After 
thus singing a number of spontaneous poetical eifusions, he con- 
cludes his speech in prose. While the speaking is going on 
good order is maintained. 

' ' The women are not permitted to be present until the dancing 
commences, and then they are invited to take a part. I have 
wished that our admirers of dancing and dancing schools could 
be present and witness the obscene gestures, and the over exer- 
tion of the body. I think they would depart loathing the dance, 
and would never again be found either taking part in or advocat- 
ing this amusement, which is the curse of this and many other 
lands. I cannot describe to you my feelings, as I have looked 
upon the heathen dance, and called to mind the fact that tlie 
dance of Christian lands is only the heathen dance polished — 
Satan appearing in his white robes. In this way they spend i\\^ 
night, when over heated casting themselves on the cold earth fill 
cool, and then resuming the dance again. Sad are the result of 
such foolish, wicked conduct. The whole generally ends in 
scenes unmentionable. 

"I will now give you a few sentences, as a specimen of the 
speeches, which were delivered at a peace or friendly meeting 
which I attended a few days ago, and at which twenty-six hogs 
were killed in the manner described above. One chief f^nil. 



•2; 



f 

Q 




LABOURS ON TANNA. 253 

' Long ago before we began to figlit we were many like the sand 
of the sea, but now we are few and live in the service of Kirapa- 
mimiin, hating and killing each other. We are all gone. Let 
us agree to allow the banished tribes to return, and let us all 
worship Jehovah, and have one talk, one conduct, one heart ; or 
what will we do ?' To this another chief replied, ' You have 
fought with us and we have fought with you. Our people are 
nearly all killed. We who are left are nearly all old men. Let us 
all live in peace, and every one go to his own land without fight- 
ing 3Iissi. This is the finish of our bad conduct. ' 

"A Tanna man appears to have no idea of the value of time, 
and is not conscious that he is rapidly approaching the unseen 
world — the great judgment seat — the awful day of account. He 
scarcely realizes that he shall live hereafter. He has but a 
dreamy idea of the world of spirits, a happy land where good 
spirits go, and a state of punishment he knows not what await- 
ing the bad. They have lords many, and gods many, but know 
not the one living and true God. The spirits which they fear 
and worship are all wicked spirits, the chief of whom they call 
Kirapanumun (devil.) They have sacred spots allotted to these 
spirits. Here they deposit food and property of various kinds 
for them. When they wish their fruits to yield abundantly, 
they present some of the same kind of fruit to these spirits. In 
these plantations you always see Takus — yam hills allotted to' 
Kirapanumun. You will see them set in rows around these 
hills. I have seen as many as twenty or thirty on one Taku. 
I have observed that the portion set apart to the evil spirits is 
invariably inferior in quantity and quality. Man is the same 
the world over. At home you profess to worship a great and 
unseen Being, and to give him a portion of your increase. But 
how frequently does he whom you worship saj^, ' Ye rob me ; 
I give you much, but I receive little ? My storehouse is empty. 
Ye bring me the torn, the lame, the sick, and the blind.' 

" Our position at present in many respects is most painful. 
When in the house, or wherever we are, in general we are sur- 
rounded by naked men, women, and children. They appear to 
be void of all shame — not to be conscious that there is anything 
improper in this naked condition. When we first came in con- 
22 



254 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

tact with them we could not but shudder, and felt it impossible 
that they could be otherwise than full of shame. It is strange 
that a people could become so utterly void of shame as they ap- 
pear to be. But such is man without the gospel. I think that 
if you saw this people you would do much to clothe their naked- 
ness. Are there no Dorcases in our church who would give 
themselves to alms-deeds, and stir up our women to united efforts 
to clothe the souls and bodies of those destitute of clothing for 
either ? 

"But I must now draw to a close. We have been here but a 
short time, yet I hope that after we have been here longer, and 
have seen more of this people and island, and have more expe- 
rience, we will be able to write much that will be interesting and 
profitable. ' ' 

He concludes this letter with the following address to 
the members of the congregation to which he belonged, 
which may be taken as his last appeal to the church at 
home. 

"Dear Friends, ours is a solitary position, and a responsible, 
yet a glorious work. We are separated from Christian scenes, as- 
sociations and friends. The sweet ordinances, the soul -cheering and 
elevating ordinances of grace we have not. Alone and solitary we 
sing the songs, with which we trust your happy homes are Vocal 
night and morning. But while we sing, the song of the heathen 
dance, the wild cry of the savage, or the jargon of tongues, 
sound in our ears, and we involuntarily say, ' Oh, how the 
Lord's song shall we sing within a foreign (heathen) land!' 
And we weep as we think upon our home Zion. your quiet 
happy Sabbaths, your solemn assemblies, your hallowed sanc- 
tuaries, and we call to mind the days of old, when with joy we 
went up with you to the house of prayer and our voices mingled 
with yours in the song of praise, and we together listened to the 
great truths which have come down from heaven to enlighten 
this dark world — to raise the dead to life, and to elevate from 
brutish degradation, to the felicities and glories of heaven, and 
the enjoyment of God. Pleasant spots, fond recollections, 



LABOURS ON TANNA. 255 

sacred associations in tlie checkered past ! These are now gone 
forever, and only live in the memory. But the solemn, the 
dying echoes of the last songs of Zion we sang together still 
sound in my ears — will continue to sound — until the angelic 
melod}^ of the golden lyres, the sweet sounding harps, and the 
heavenly songs of the angelic choir burst upon my ears. 

' ' Dear friends, farewell ; truly your lines have fallen to you in 
pleasant places, and you have received a goodly inheritance. 
Part not with these privileges and blessings— the richest gifts 
of Grod, for the gold of California or Australia, no, not for all 
this world can give you. Eternity alone can disclose the real 
worth of the inheritance you possess. Learn to appreciate and 
be thankful for it. In this heathen land I am made daily more 
and more to feel the value of gospel privileges. And I would 
now sa}^ to you — you from generation to generation have enjoyed 
the ameliorating, elevating influences of gospel truth — if ye do 
not become partakers in your souls of its power, it would be a 
thousand times ten thousand better for you to have been in this 
dark isle and lived amid its untold darkness, wickedness, and 
woes. You may sport about in the sunshine of your prosperity 
and blessings, but the day is not far distant — the awful day you 
cannot escape, when you shall have to stand before the great 
white throne, and give in an account of the use you have made 
of your privileges and blessings upon earth, to the great, in- 
flexii)le and just Judge of the universe. 

" Oh, then let us all humbly, faithfully and immediately in- 
quire of our souls if we are living under the influence of the 
Spirit of G-od, and wisely and diligently occupying all our privi- 
leges and talents to his glory ! My dear friends, let us all think 
more about these things and learn to appreciate the death of 
Christ— the joyous message of salvation — the love, mercy, com- 
passion of Grod. Let that person who lives without prayer and 
thought tremble. 

"Finally, brethren, farewell. My constant prayer for you 
all is, that God may make you perfect in every good work to do 
his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, and 
preserve you blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Brethren, pray for us." 



2"'(3 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

The following are the only items of his private diary 
at this time, which we possess. 

' ' Fridaj^ 7. For a long time I have neglected my private 
journal. Many are my excuses and reasons for this neglect. 
True they are not without weight. But the stern, solemn, and 
melancholy fact is that a want of earnestness and heart devotion 
are the real causes of neglect. Let the heart be in earnest and 
devoted, how difficulties disappear. This element wanting, how 
difficulties multiply and beset you on every side. God, grant 
me an earnest and devoted heart ! During my silence what a 
variety of spiritual frames have I experienced — at times feeling 
in some measure the warmth of heaven and at others the chilly 
coldness of earth. But the sum of my experience is this — fall- 
ing from a spiritual state of mind is like the letting out of waters. 
The smallest opening soon becomes the avenue of a gushing 
torrent. Just so the little neglect — the trifling sin soon becomes 
the avenue for a torrent of neglect and sin. Cleave to God and 
he will make you cleave to him. 

" 15. I ask myself whence cometh my indecision and inac- 
tivity in God's service? I find it originates in a want of ear- 
nestness in calling upon God, Oh, if I would seek him ear- 
nestly I would surely find him ! ' ' 

The following is Mr. Johnston's last letter : — • 

" Tanna^ Port Resolution^ October 25, 1860. 
" Dear Brother : — Once more I take up my pen to address 
you. Many, many long letters yet remain unanswered. I have 
written many a long letter to Nova Scotia since I left, but have 
not received a single one in reply. I hope the letters we are 
sending home are going safely. Mr. Matheson has received let- 
ters from home dated so late as 27th. Where are the let- 
ters written since we left ? Have all our friends forgotten us ? 
But I need not spend time thus. I suppose you are anxious to 
know what we are doing, and how we are prospering. But I 
cannot promise you much at present. I have little opportunity 
to write. The Tannese regard every thing on Tanna as their 



LABOURS ON TANNA. 257 

own. They think that they have a right to come into your house 
and go into every part of it as they please. Hence you have 
men, women, and children constantly crowding around you, for 
it would not do to offend them, and we are anxious to get them 
around us as much as possible. You must also remember, that 
when in the house they are not very mannerly, one naked gen- 
tleman steps up to you, and asks all manner of questions, de- 
mands of you to let him — asipau — see all that you have, what 
you have got in your pockets, how many dresses j^ou have on, 
&c. Another stretches himself full length on the floor — another 
takes a seat upon a stand. A number are examining every 
thing, and demanding explanations, as though we were their 
servants. Others are chattering and laughing, and making all 
kinds of noise. Another fellow will quite deliberately take up a 
pen, daub it into the ink, and commence writing upon your pa- 
per, if you do not interfere, and get him some paper. Others 
are wanting you to buy this and the other thing, others begging 
you to give this and that. So I think you can easily imagine 
that it is no very easy matter to write in our position. In fact I 
have almost given it up for the present, and spend my time in 
learning the language. 

" Betsey is quite a wonder among the natives. Some appear 
quite overcome with astonishment and fear. You may be sure 
she gets quite a close inspection and has many a strange ques- 
tion asked her. The women will take her into their arms — say- 
ing, Ramasan, good, and call her their missionary. She some- 
. times clears them all out of the house. Men who have been ac- 
customed to trample upon women, scarcely know what to say to 
a woman usurping such authority. But still she generally ma- 
nages them. 

"I intend to get from Nova Scotia such supplies as the mis- 
sionaries here are in the habit of getting from Britain. I wrote 
you some time ago respecting this, and told you what things I 
wished, and how thej^ were to be done up, &c. I also author- 
ized you to draw upon Mr. Bayne for the amount you may spend 
in this way. Do not be afraid of my salary, I have i^lenty. I 
hope you received my letter, for I will stand in need of things I 
ordered. But since I am receiving no letters from home, I fear 
22* 



258 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

my letters may be lost also before they reach you. But I will 
trust to Providence. As I have been so kindly dealt with, and 
so wonderfully provided for hitherto, so also I trust that my let- 
ters have been watched over, and will reach in safety, and that 
my things are now on their way here. 

' ' I am contented and happy — more so than I have ever been 
since I have been cast upon this world of trouble. I feel that I 
have got into my proper position and the work for which I was 
made. Oh, may we be faithful ! I more and more feel that it 
is a great and responsible work. Oh, how earnest we should 
be to bring this poor suffering people into possession of the 
blessings of the gospel ! Betsey is writing a long letter to Mary, 
and gives much information. I do not feel that it is neces- 
sary for me to write much. 

" Changes in the feelings of this people are constantly occur- 
ring. We know not the moment they may all be arrayed 
against us. Yesterday, Mr. Paton and we were sitting together 
writing. He heard the goats making some uncommon noise, 
and rose and went out. We continued writing and thought no 
more of it, until Mr. P. returned in about half an hour, telling 
us he would never be nearer death, than he was since he went 
out, until it actually comes. A crowd of armed men had sur- 
rounded him — held their spears and clubs over him, calling upon 
each other to strike — telling him they would kill him that very 
moment. They were restrained — their wi^ath abated, and he 
was permitted to return home without any injury. This wicked 
people are bad enough to do any wicked act, however cruel or 
wicked. But there is a Power above all. They also are under 
this power, and can only harm us when he permits. He is all 
goodness and mercy ; therefore let us not fear what man or any 
other person can do. I do not know that I experience any 
more fear here than I did at home. I stroll about among them 
everywhere, without any more fear than I had at home, among 
our own people. Hitherto they have not molested me, but I 
know not what may be awaiting me. Betsey does not appear to 
be troubled with fear in the least, especially if I am with her. 
(Perhaps she thinks me a piece of perfection. ) I trust you will 
have no undue fears about us. If you feel that there h reason 



LABOURS ON TANNA. 259 

for fear, then be more earnest in committing us to the care and 
keeping of Him who is able to do all things. But, in particular 
pray for this people — for thej^ are rapidly going down to eternal 
ruin — wretched in this life, and untold misery awaiting them in 
the life to come. Solemnly inquire of yourselves if you have 
chosen the better part. There is no time for delay — no time 
for uncertainties. 

"And now, dear brother, I must conclude. I know not 
where you are, or what are your relations in life. But I daily 
commend you to Grod's care, and I have confidence that my 
prayers are not unanswered. I hope you are daily living to 
Grod's glory. There is no other object worth living for. " 

The following letter from Mrs. Johnston gives some 
farther particulars of their work : 

" Tanna, Port Resolution, October, 1860. 

" My Dear Sister Mary : — In no part of my life has time 
seemed to pass away so rapidly as the months, weeks, and days 
have done since we came here. I suppose you will infer from 
this that I am not homesick nor lonesome. But one would sup- 
pose that the monotony here would make time hang more 
heavily on our hands. But it is not so. There is seldom any- 
thing here to distinguish one day's work from another, and thus 
the days and weeks just glide away. 

"On Sabbaths, at about eight o'clock, we go in to church. 
But the attendance there is almost discouraging at the com- 
mencement of the day's labour. Besides the Aneiteumese 
teachers, who are nine in number, we have only five or six men 
and the same of women and children who generally attend, and 
here are crowds of people who would not have a quarter or half 
a mile to walk to church. But, poor creatures they dread any- 
thing of this kind. We then travel round from village to vil- 
lage, the greater part of the rest of the Sabbath day, Mr. 
Paton just talking and worshipping with the people, when he 
can get any one to sit and listen to him. Some days he goes in- 
land and some days along the shores, perhaps in one day holding 
worship in ten or twelve places in little villages, or by assem- 
bling a few of them round him on the shore. But we often find 



260 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

them at their work or sport on Sabbath, though they are no- 
thing like so bad in this respect as formerly. Numbers have 
stopped work on Sabbath though, who do not listen to worship, 
or but seldom. Last Sabbath we had worship in about six or 
seven different places, but at no place had over seven to listen. 
We saw crowds out on the reefs fishing. Mr. Paton would call 
to any one near, but perhaps only one or two would pay any at- 
tention to him. Perhaps some of them would start up a song 
singing. But we generally meet with better success than we did 
last Sabbath, for they have these few days past not been so 
friendly with Mr. Paton, and at these times of course do all they 
can to annoy us, and the ' Afuake! religion. Fulton and I do 
not understand much of the worship yet, and of course cannot 
talk to the people. But still we always go round with Mr. 
Paton, 

" And about week days, our work is much the same each day 
through the week. We usually rise about half-past five o'clock 
and breakfast at seven. Mr. P. and the Aneiteum teachers get 
to work at the house which Mr. P. is building. Fulton and I 
spend most of our time with the language, sometimes reading, 
writing, &c. Fulton works a little occasionally at the new 
house. 

" We are all living together yet, but hope in a few weeks to 
be in the new house, which, being so large, will accommodate 
quite well two families, or at least Mr. Paton in one part of it 
and we two in another, if you can call that two families. Poor 
Mr. Paton, we feel very much for him, but he appears to bear 
his trouble most resignedly. He has been living here entirely 
alone since his wife died, until we came here. He was some of 
the time sick, and had none to wait on him. He had a servant 
man and woman from Aneiteum. But natives, although they 
are taught to work about a house ever so well, always require 
some one to oversee them occasionally, such as in cooking, &c. 

" While I sit writing there are several women and children 
round me. They all make a great fuss about me when they 
first see me — look at me with great astonishment, as if I were 
some other kind of being from themselves, saying ' Ramasan^ 
ramasan,^ meaning good, good. Mary, if you were here to see 



LABOURS ON TANNA. 261 

the abuse of women, I know your heart would ache for them. 
Thej^ are just slaves to the men — do the hardest of the work, 
and if thej^ happen to give the slightest offence to them are se- 
verely punished and often clubbed to death. It will likely be 
some time before we will get any of the natives to come and stop 
with us. They do not take much interest in us yet. They will 
not yet work for us, if they are paid for it. The Tannese are a 
very independent-looking people, and awfully proud. The men 
wear their hair long and twisted up in little strings, and wound 
round with a kind of thread or grass. But you will see a pic- 
ture of one in ' Grems from the Coral Islands. ' 

"Fulton has just interrupted me, telling me that he dreamed 
last night of receiving a long letter from you, which contained a 
journal of home affairs from the time we left. He says . it will 
be something new to receive a long letter from Mary, but I hope 
this will not be the case hereafter. You have little idea how 
one feels so far out of reach of all that is dear to them, and not 
hearing from them. Fulton always keeps saying that he will 
not fret if he don't get letters. He pretends to be wonderfully 
brave about it. But when he saw the package of letters that 
came here for Mr. and Mrs. Matheson, and Mr. Paton, I rather 
think that he looked at them with a longing desire for home 
news also, wondering what had become of our letters. He en- 
joys excellent health, and is in good spirits. I think that he 
was born for a missionary. He appears to be in his element 
when he gets a crowd of heathen round him and talking with 
them with what few words he can use, of their wickedness, evil 
habits, &c. He commands great respect among them. They 
call him 'missionary aso?',' meaning tlte great missionar}^ It 
cannot be in size surely. I suppose they think him dignified. 
The natives are very noticing that way, and if they see mis- 
sionaries easy going and easily led about b}^ them, yielding to 
them when they should show firmness, getting into a fluster at 
their little annoyances, &c. , they soon begin to take the advan- 
tage of them and do not respect them so much as one who is 
more independent and firm with them. But of course kindness 
must be shown in everything, and the greatest patience exer- 
cised, or we cannot either gain their affection or command re- 



262 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

spect. They watcli our conduct just as closely as any one at 
home would do. An inconsistency, ever so trifling, they are 
sharp to see, and would think an awful thing in a missionary. 
Our dress also is not unnoticed by them. If they would observe 
anything about our dress not tidy and nice-looking, hair not 
combed up nice, &c., they would say to each other, ^ Karaka' 
bad. Of a slovenly person they would say at once, ' He is no 
missionary, but just a '"'' nupetonga^^^ ' some foreigner. 

' ' While I am sitting here writing there are about a dozen 
little boys and girls round, some leaning on the back of my 
chair, another against my shoulder, and some picking up my 
ink, pens, wafers, &c. , asking what is the name of this and the 
other things. They are also urging me very strongly to quit my 
writing for a little and play them a tune on that singing instru- 
ment of mine, (the accordeon) asking me if it would be a good 
plan for me to take the accordeon and come away to their home 
some day, which is about three miles away up on the moun- 
tains, and play to all the people, for there are so many men, 
women, and children away beyond that, who dare not pass the 
other tribes of savages to come here and listen to it and see me ; 
but if I would just consent to go there, they would tell all the 
people, and flocks of them would come to see me. They really 
amuse me sometimes with their requests of me, questions, &c. 

"My letter is filling up. I hope to write again soon if I have 
an opportunity of sending. But if no vessel calls again soon, 
we will not have any for about five months, until the rainy 
season is past which is soon to commence. The weather is be- 
coming warm here now. It is our summer weather, and with 
you it is coming on winter. Our hottest weather is during the 
rainy season. Tell your mother about the knitting needles 
she put up. They of course will be useful for some purposes, 
such as for pieces of wire. But here the natives will not need to 
do anything at knitting. Of course they could learn it as easily 
as sewing, but they will never wear anything on their feet, how- 
ever well their body is dressed. There is no such thing on Anei- 
teum as a native with shoes on, though on Sabbaths, some of 
them appear out in their coats, trowsers, and vests, as nice-look- 
ing as our boys at home." 



CLOSING SCENES. 2G8 



CHAPTER XI. 

CLOSING SCENES. 

The Mission on Tanna seemed for a time in a pro- 
mising state. The field, though difficult, was jet hope- 
ful. The missionaries were diligent in sowing the seed, 
and there was every prospect of their reaping in due 
time, when those events occurred, in the providence of 
God, which led ultimately to the entire suspension of 
the work. 

In the month of November, a vessel landed on the 
island four young men ill with measles, and in a short 
time the disease spread over the whole island. About 
the same time the disease was introduced on the neigh- 
bouring islands. The whole population was laid down 
by it — often one not able to help another, and the liv- 
ing scarcely able to bury the dead. On Aneiteum it 
w^as believed that about one third of the population was 
swept away ; while on the heathen islands the mortality 
was even greater, in some instances it being supposed 
that one half of the population died from the disease or 
its after ejffects. On Tanna the mortality was dreadful, 
and from the peculiar ideas of the natives regarding dis- 
ease, and their prejudices against Christianity as pro- 
ducing it, the result was most disastrous to mission work 
among them. But we must allow the missionaries to 



264 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

tell the tale. Mr. Johnston thus wrote in what he in- 
tended as one of his journal letters to the church : 

Port Resolution^ December, 1860. 

' ' For some time I have written almost none. But now I pur- 
pose commencing again. 

' ' I lay down this sheet with the intention of noting down from 
time to time some of the more important events that transpire 
around us. We have a nice, comfortable room. You would 
enjoy an hour in it more than any hour you have ever yet en- 
joyed. This is the rainy season — the unhealthy season. But 
as yet we enjoy good health. Bessy had a very slight attack of 
fever. But with a blessing upon the use of means she is quite 
restored, and is now as well as ever I saw her. Sickness is pre- 
vailing among the natives to a most alarming extent. They are 
all scrofulous, and consequently they are susceptible of all kinds 
of disease. Few of them are altogether free from running sores, 
and many of them appear to be masses of corruption. It is 
most distressing to see them. But what can we do for them ? 
The blood is the seat of their diseases ; and their food, habits, 
etc., all tend to make the blood impure. But there is one com- 
fort : they do not seem to suffer nearly so much from their sores 
as we would do from the same sores. With amazing rapidity 
they are prostrated with sickness, and with equal rapidity re- 
cover or die. 

"The foreigners landed two Tannese whom they had em- 
ployed, and who were suffering from the measles. This disease 
is now spreading with fearful rapiditj^ — but I forbear saying 
more about it until we shall see the result. 

' ' 22. The measles are making fearful havoc among the poor 
Tannese. As we pass through their villages, a most mournful 
scene is presented to the eye. Young and old prostrated on the 
ground, suffering all those painful symptoms which usually 
attend this loathsome and malignant disease. In some vil- 
lages there appear to be few able to prepare food and carry drink 
to the suffering. How painful to see these sufferers destitute 
of ever}' comfort, attention, and remedy that would ameliorate 
their sufferings and remove their disease ! As I think of the 



CLOsiNa scEJ^ES. 265 

tender manner in which we are nursed in sickness, the many re- 
medies employed to give relief, and all the comforts and atten- 
tions bestowed upon us, and then contemplate these sufferers 
stretched on the ground, naked, and destitute of every comfort 
and attention, my heart sickens within me, and I say. Oh ! my 
ingratitude, and the ingratitude of Christian people. How little 
we value a Christian birth, education, and privileges ! Where 
are the evidences of our gratitude for the invaluable blessings 
so lavishly conferred upon us, and mysteriously withheld from 
myriads of the human family ? Their present trouble seems to 
humble them very much. They are willing to worship, and say 
that they will live better in time to come. Mr. Paton cut his 
ancle very badly — unable to go about. I have to attend to the 
interests of the Mission. I go almost every day to some of the 
villages, to the suffering and dying (for numbers are now dying. ) 
Though little can be done for them, j^et I like to go among them, 
that I may more deeply sympathize with them, feel more grate- 
ful for my blessings, and give a word of comfort, admonition, or 
instruction. Thus time passes on. But one sad feature in this 
calamity is now beginning to manifest itself; the people are be- 
ginning to waver, incline to their old superstitious notions, and 
say that the Nahak is killing them — that our worship is bring- 
ing these calamities upon them — and that if we would leave 
them the disease would leave — that Satan was destroying them 
all because he does not like the worship, and does not allow them 
to worship. They are now beginning to threaten us. They say 
some of us must die to satisfy kirampanumwi, 

' ' Events became more and more threatening until the year 
closed, and it expired under a dark, gloomy cloud. But stillT did 
not anticipate any personal danger to myself, or any connected 
with the Mission. Though rumours of all kinds were daily 
coming to our ears, and our teachers were greatly alarmed, siill 
I did not fear, disbelieved, and went freely among the people, 
(I suppose you will say, Fulton-like. ) I saw a change in their 
countenances, etc. , but was not molested in any way. 

"January 1, 1861. This morning, with a heavy heart and a 
feeling of dread, I knew not why, I set out on my accustomed 
wanderings among the sick. Their melancholy condition truly 
23 



266 MEMOIR OP S. F. JOHNSTON. 

aroused my sympathies. I hastened home, and directed the 
teachers to carry Mr. Paton to the scenes of distress. We car- 
ried water and medicines. I carried a bucket of water in one 
hand, and medicine in the other. We spent a large portion of 
the day in thus endeavouring to alleviate their sufferings ; and 
I think our day's labours did not only tend to alleviate suffering, 
but also had a happy effect upon the minds of many. In the 
evening, as usual, we went into Mr. P.'s to have worship. The 
houses are only a few steps apart. ' ' 

Mr. Johnston's hand was here arrested. What fol- 
lowed Mr. Paton thus describes. 

" On the first of January, when as usual Mr. and Mrs. John- 
ston were retiring from family worship in my room, he returned 
back to say, that two Tanna men were at the window with huge 
clubs, &c. I went and asked what they wanted, when one an- 
swered, medicine for a boy ; so with much difficulty I got them 
urged to come into the house, when I saw from their agitated 
appearance, that they did not want medicine, but were about 
some ill. As Mr. Johnston was leaving, I said they must all 
leave, as I was going ta sleep, and if they came in daylight, I 
would give them all the medicine they wanted. Outside, Mr. 
Johnston bent down to lift a kitten that had got out, when one 
of the savages got behind him and aimed a blow with his huge 
club, which, however, Mr. J. evaded, and the ground received. 
He drew a second blow, but my two dogs observing, sprang be- 
tween them, and so saved Mr. J.'s life. On hearing Mr. J. 
call out, I ran out of the house and called the two men to me, 
not knowing what they had done. Again they turned, and both 
ran at me with their ponderous clubs, but when about to inflict 
the deadly blows, again my two dogs sprang between us, so one 
dog was struck with a club, and the other club struck the ground, 
and I was saved, for now the dogs had them running from us as 
fast as possible. As they fled down the path, I reproved their 
sinful conduct, and entreated them to give up hating Jehovah, 
his worship and his people. Though a large body of armed men 
were hiding in the path, and all ready to give assistance at a mo- 



CLOSING SCENES. 267 

ment's warniog, and though they had come eight or ten miles 
to take our Hves, yet they all fled. Truly, ' the wicked flee when 
no man pursueth. ' ' The Lord is our refuge ! ' 

' ' Having now become accustomed to such attacks and such 
scenes, I went to bed and slept as usual; but Mr. Johnston 
could not sleep. He was pale next day. At the moment he said 
to himself, ' Already on the verge of eternity — How have I spent 
my time on the mission-field ? What good have I done ? What 
zeal have I manifested ?' 

" Next day in company we visited a village to administer ad- 
vice and medicine, and to conduct worship with the people, and 
on returning home Mr. J. was sick and vomiting. The follow- 
ing day was spent as a thanksgiving day, in which anew and 
unitedly we dedicated ourselves to Grod and to his service 
among the heathen on Tanna, so long as he is pleased to spare 
us. 

" On the 4th we went out to Rasiau to give advice and me- 
dicine, for we were told that many were sick and dying, and that 
the people were reflecting because we had not gone to see them. 
We were kindly received. A large company of people assembled 
for worship. After which we gave a great quantity of medicine 
to sick folks, and then visited many sick persons in their houses, 
administered medicine, and joined in prayer in almost every 
house, but as the rain fell in torrents, we were drenched all day, 
and I feared we would be the worse for it. 

On the 6th, very early, a large body of armed men passed the 
mission-house, and all was excitement with armed men running 
here and there. The people on the other side of the bay had as- 
sembled with the Kasirumini people, and come to try and get 
our people to unite with them in taking all our lives at once. 
We assembled our Aneiteumese and had worship, and as we 
concluded we heard a great noise on the shore. The Anikahi 
people had quarrelled with our people, and at that instant an in- 
land tribe came and killed a man on the other side of the bay, 
and as the war-cry was now heard, every man was running to 
protect his own in the greatest confusion, and so God frustrated 
all their purposes and saved us. For a week our people met 
daily in arms, and acted on the defensive — sitting, waiting for 



268 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

their enemies, and large numbers came to worship every morn- 
ing at the mission-house. 

"A few days after, Mr. J. and I went to a village about a 
half mile distant to give medicine to twelve persons, and to con- 
duct worship with all the inhabitants, who were very kind and 
attentive. We went a little farther to another village, where we 
saw many sick persons but could not get them all to take medi- 
cine. 

" On Sabbath, the 13th, Mr. J. and I visited three large vil- 
lages, conducted worship at each of them, had large and atten- 
tive audiences, and after worship gave medicine to very many 
persons who were ill, and as it had been a wet day the day be- 
fore, and we had to sit on the ground a good deal, I got fever 
from it, and Mr. J. felt unwell and could not sleep at night, for 
which reason he took laudanum. ' ' 

Of these days the following are the only items in his 
diary, which we possess. 

"Jan. 3, Thursday. A day of fasting and humiliation. We 
set this day apart to make confession of our sins, to acknowledge 
Grod's hand and mercy in our miraculous delivery, to make a 
new dedication of ourselves to God and his service on this isle, 
to seek qualifications for the work, and to make special prayer 
for the people. Had some sweet pleasure in the exercises of 
this day — one of my happiest days. But still have to lament a 
want of heart-searching examination and deepest honesty and 
sincerity. 

"Friday, 11. We have obtained some farther information re- 
garding the attempt made upon our lives. It seems that it was 
long meditated and undertaken with determination. The party 
was from Anakahi. They considered that as when Mr. Turner 
was here, disease destroyed great numbers, so now the present 
epidemic had been brought upon them by us, and that at least 
some of us must die. The party came to the foot of the hill, 
and sent two of their number, — bold, blood-thirsty men to lie in 
wait and kill some of us, while the rest lay in readiness to assist 
if their assistance should be required. 



CLOSING SCENES. 269 

"Such was their fiendish plot. But the result should teach 
them that it is in vain for the heathen to rage against his 
anointed." 

The above is the last entry. An account of his last 
illness we shall give from the letters of Mrs. Johnston 
and Mr. Paton, interweaving their narratives into one. 

Mr. J. had enjoyed excellent health after leaving 
home, and was very fle&hy up to his sickness. He was 
not quite a week sick. His sickness commenced with 
vomiting. On January 16th he and Mrs. J. took break- 
fast together as usual, after which they went into Mr. 
Paton's to worship. It was Mr. J's. turn to pray, and 
Mrs. J. noticed that his prayer was much shorter than 
usual. He also went out doors immediately after. She 
followed him out and found him vomiting. She got him 
to bed at once, and gave him an emetic, by which he 
threw off a great deal of bile. He was soon relieved, 
but he seemed chilly, but with some additional bedclothes 
in a few hours felt more comfortable. He then became 
feverish and suffered very much, became very thin in 
flesh in two days. He was very thirsty all day, and 
often said, " Oh if I only had a drink of cold water out 
of father's well, I would just be well." The water 
was not very good, and they always put something in it 
to make it more palatable. But he got tired of all kinds 
of drinks, and said, '' Oh, mother used to make me some 
sort of toast drink, that I must have some of now !" 
This he seemed very fond of. 

Next morning, January 17th, he arose quite well — 
had slept well the night before, from having taken lau- 
danum. He also gave the same to her, as she had been ill 

23 * 



270 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

all day, and both had slept but little for two or three 
nights. In the morning he went into Mr. Paton's bed- 
room full of life and activity, saying that he had got a 
long sound sleep, and felt so well. Mr. Paton asked 
him if he had found the medicine he wanted. He said, 
" Yes, what a blessing such medicine is to us when we 
are ill." 

But on this day, about 11 o'clock, he began to lounge 
about, and not feeling very strong he threw himself on 
the bed. Still he was not complaining, and three Tan- 
nese coming in and sitting on the floor he talked to them 
of their bad conduct and the evil consequences of it. 
After these went out he appeared restless and sleepy. 
Mrs. J. went to the bedside and asked him if he was 
not feeling so well. "Not quite," he said, and his 
thoughts wandered. She could not get him to speak in 
English. It was all Tannese he spoke. She told him 
that he was not well at all — that she would raise him up 
in bed. But he was so drowsy that she could not get 
him to move about much. He lay quite composed for 
some time, and at last fell into a sleep. She let him 
sleep for a few moments, but fearing that something was 
wrong she could not be contented to allow him to remain 
asleep. She moved him about, but could not get him 
clearly awake. From his having so much heat in his 
head, and his being very feverish, she thought he might 
have inflammation of the brain. She searched the medi- 
cal work, and applied such remedies as she judged best, 
bathing his head with vinegar and water, and giving him 
as drink chiefly lemonade. For some time he seemed 
quite lively, and would himself wet the cloth for his 
forehead in a basin near him. About one o'clock he 



CLOSING SCENES. 271 

slept soundly and she could not awake him. She then 
went in to ask Mr. Paton what she could do for him. 
Mr. Paton was lying very low with fever, but still he very 
kindly said he must go in and see. Two men helped 
him to Mr. J's. bedside, but finding Mr. J. in a state of 
coma with his jaw locked, for a time Mr. P. forgot his 
own suffering. With difficulty he succeeded in opening 
Mr. J's. mouth with two knives, got him out of bed, and 
administered the usual emetic, &c., which took good ef- 
fect, and so he appeared greatly revived; but they had 
to keep him awake by the cold dash, by ammonia, and 
by exercise. Mr. P. shaved behind his ears and applied 
blisters — bled him at the arm, but no blood flowed. 
However, medicine formerly administered now gave great 
relief and he began to speak a little, so Mr. P. left him 
in Mrs. J's. care till the morning. He continued to im- 
prove, but till next day at midday they had to keep him 
awake by physical means. 

For some time, while he was in Mr. Paton's hands, 
Mrs. J. could scarcely keep herself up from the lauda- 
num she had taken. She sat with Mr, J. most of the 
night, holding him in her arms, giving him sometimes 
hartshorn and dashing cold water on his face. At 12 
o'clock he began to improve and moved himself about, 
also moaned, at times turning himself. About 2 o'clock 
they laid a bed on the floor for him. He kept improving 
until 4 o'clock, when for the first time he answered any 
question. Mrs. J. asked him if he knew her. He said, 
" Of course, I do." She asked him if it was his mother. 
He said, "No." "Is it Mary?" "No." "Betsey?" 
"Yes, I know you." 

At 5 o'clock, A. M. Mr. Paton returned, and reached 



272 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

liis hand to Mr. J. He grasped it, but looked up amazed 
at Mr. Paton and then at Mrs. J. Soon he was alone 
with Mrs. J. who told him what had happened through 
the night, and that to human appearance there was no 
hope of his life, and also that Mr. Paton prayed for him 
very often through the night. He wept, and said, "Mr. 
Paton is a dear man." She asked him if he knew when 
Mr. Paton was praying. He said he "heard in part." 
She said, "Did you pray for yourself since you have 
been awake?" "Not so much as I ought to have done." 
About three o'clock in the afternoon he fell into a 
sound sleep. Mr. Paton gave him medicine. About 
dark he awoke, and seemed quite well. Through the 
night he talked to Mrs. J. very freely. He said, "Now, 
since I have got better, you tell all about me during my 
sleep." She told him. He said, "Now, since we have 
not been able to pray together for some time, let us do 
so now. I will pray first, then you." After this both 
slept till morning. He seemed quite well in the morn- 
ing, but had very little appetite. In the forenoon she 
was talking to him again, he said, "How merciful God 
has been. I might just have slept away into eternity 
without a moment's warning, but now that I have awaked 
from sleep, and find that I have been so very low, T 
would be willing not to have awaked again, only for the 
heathen.'' She said, "Would you be satisfied to be 
called now into eternity?" He answered quickly, "Yes." 
At 11 o'clock he wished to rise and walk out doors. 
She would not consent to that, knowing that he was too 
weak. He then asked if he could have the sofa set out- 
side the door- — saying that he would lie on it. This was 
prepared for him ; he said he was comfortable now, and 



CLOSING SCENES. 273 

to tell the girl to bring his soup, if it was prepared. 
Mrs. J. gave him the chicken soup. He ate a little, 
and soon went to sleep. As he had not slept much for 
some time she allowed him an hour. Little thinking 
that he was sound asleep she at one o'clock tried to 
awaken him, but in vain. They carried him to bed. 
All the means she could use to rouse him were of no ef- 
fect. He slept on through all day Sabbath; she with 
a teaspoon wetting his mouth with drink. He did not 
swallow well. On Monday, January 21st, she noticed 
that his breathing was not as usual, and sent for Mr. 
Paton. In a few moments he slept in death without 
a struggle. The last breath was as calm as if sleep- 
ing. 

The following is the conclusion of Mr. Paton's 
letter : 

' ' As decomposition soon follows here, I set some of our Anei- 
tumese to make his grave, while I made his coffin, as we feared 
the effect of his death on our dark, benighted, threatening Tan- 
nese, but they did not interfere, and at sunset his remains slept 
beside those of my dear departed. Mrs. Johnston attended 
him with affectionate care, and sustained the trial of his 
death with much Christian resignation. But having taken 
the same quantity of laudanum with Mr. Johnston, she appeared 
to suffer from its effects for above four weeks after. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Johnston came here on the 12th of Septem- 
ber, and slept in my bedroom for about three months, when we 
got another ready for them, and as good as the one they were 
leaving. When Mr. Johnston came to Port Resolution, I was 
busy building houses, and so we agreed that it was better for 
him and Mrs. J. to apply their whole time in acquiring the lan- 
guage, so as to be ready for a new station, if one could possibly 
be got at the close of the rainy season. I gave them ten Tanna 
words daily which 'they committed to memory and were exercised 



274 MEMOIR OP S. F. JOHNSTON. 

on every night witli conversational phrases. So that on an 
average they learned sixty words weekly, apart from words 
picked up by themselves from the Tannese. 

"I found Mr. Johnston to be a very agreeable friend and 
companion, full of missionary zeal, and always ready to try and 
do good for the poor heathen. He accompanied me to worship 
on Sabbath among the villages, and he also went with me in all 
my inland excursions. And often in company we have carried 
medicine and water to the sick and dying in our nearest villages, 
so that we loved each other as brothers, and had much sweet 
communion in the Lord's work among this benighted people. 
But alas ! our Lord Jesus has called our dear brother into 
another department of his service, and for what, the future 
must develope. 

" Tanna is a large and rugged field, the labourers are few and 
the harvest is great, and Mr. Johnston was full of youth, life, 
and activity, and why he should be safely brought over a long 
voyage, enabled to acquire the language so as to be able to speak 
to the people, and called away when his usefulness was just be- 
ginning, must remain among the inscrutable mysteries of Grod, 
who gives account of his ways to none; yet, 'He doeth all 
things well. ' And undoubtedly in his eternal purpose the time, 
the place, and the means must have been arranged and fixed un- 
alterably for his kingdom and the good of his Church. ' Even 
so. Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight. ' ' The Lord gave 
and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.' 
Mr. Johnston's death is a great loss to the mission, and to the 
Church, for he was much respected and beloved by all the mem- 
bers of it, and high hopes were entertained regarding his future 
career on Tanna, and his death will cause universal mourning in 
the mission, but let it be the united and earnest prayer of all con- 
cerned, that Grod may not abandon his work on dark, gloomy 
Tanna, but that he may raise up and qualify others to occupy 
the places of those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. And may 
this lesson teach us all to prepare for the awful change which 
may be nearer than we expect, and which ' will come as a thief 
in the night. ' 

"For the last two months this island has been fearfully 



CLOSING SCENES. 275 

scourged with measles and other diseases. A vessel landed four 
young Tanna men ill with measles about three months ago, and 
in a short time this epidemic spread over the island. Some of 
the lads were killed for bringing the disease. Many have died 
and yet the people are dying in great numbers from the after 
effect. The mortality is so great in some places that many per- 
sons are left lying here and there on the earth unburied, or the 
door of the house is closed and the dead body left to decay with 
the house. For heathen are truly without natural affection, and 
take but little care of their health. The disease is still cutting 
off hundreds inland, and the people are for killing us and burn- 
ing all that belongs to us, because they say we are foreigners, 
and the foreigners brought this disease to Tanna which is killing 
them all. Many of the most important chiefs have died, and 
only three men are left who come to worship. The inland peo- 
ple say they are all dying, and the worship is in some way the 
cause of it, therefore they want to destroy the worship of Grod 
from Tanna, but the tribes around us say the worship is good, 
and the medicine is good, and that ' it is only the dark-hearted 
Tannese who blame Missi for the sickness. ' I believe our cause 
has gained much ground during this sickness if we are only 
spared to survive it. Our poor chief when dying got up and 
said, ' I'll run to Missi for medicine, for I am very ill;' but when 
about half way he fell and died in the bush where he was found 
next iaorning. 

"The people around us came for medicine, and even little 
children took it like milk, consequently the mortality around us 
has been very small compared with that at a distance. 

"MyAneiteum teachers who occupied inland stations have 
suffered severely, and Kawia, the Tannese chief who lived with 
us, and his Aneiteum wife and child are all dead, so that in 
whole ten persons are dead, and eight of those who remain are 
resolved to go to Aneiteum, as they say they dare not remain on 
Tanna, for which I feel sorry. My poor Aneiteumese suffered 
with much patience, and read the Scriptures as long as they 
were able — they prayed much with each other and appeared to 
derive much consolation from Christianity. I had great plea- 
sure in waiting on them, and I hope they all sleep in Jesus. 



27G MEMOIR OP S. P. JOHNSTON. 

One of tliem, a good old man named Abraham, spent the most 
of his time in reading the Scriptures to them, exhorting them, 
and praying with them. A few days before Kawia the Tanna 
chief's death, he came to my bedside where I was confined with 
fever, I asked him to pray, when in tears he said, ' 0, Lord, 
Missi Johnston is dead. Thou hast taken him away. Missi 
Paton and Missi the woman Johnston are ill, very ill"" I am 
sick, and the Aneiteumese, thy servants, are all sick and dying. 
O, Lord, our Father in heaven, art thou going to take away all 
thy servants and thy worship from Tanna at this time, or what 
wilt thou do? G, Lord, the Tannese hate thee, and thy wor- 
ship, and thy servants, but forsake not Tanna ! Make the 
hearts of the Tannese sweet to thy word, and to thy worship, 
and teach them to fear and love Jesus. 0, our Father in 
heaven,' &c. " 

He also adds in a letter to Mr. Johnston's Parents : 

' ' My dear friends, you had designed your accomplished son to 
work in the Lord's work on the mission-field. The Master has 
accepted your rich donation, but after a few months' probation, 
in which he was acquiring the language rapidly and bidding fair 
to be useful, he has given him employment elsewhere, and his 
dust rests as composedly on dark Tanna as it would have done 
in Stewiacke church-yard. Then mourn not for him, as those 
who have no hope. True we cannot help tears of natural affec- 
tion flowing. Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus, nor will he 
be angry at us, when we weep for dear departed friends, if we 
keep our grief within proper bounds. I have no sympathy 
with the stoic, who is unmoved when the Lord smites, but my 
heart melts with those who feel his warning voice, and weep 
when he warns or reproves. I believe that everything was done 
for your son, that could have been done for him in the circum- 
stances, but his time was come. I believe also that in God's 
eternal purpose Tanna was fixed as the place where he must die 
and where his dust must rest ; and as to the means, God ap- 
pointed them also, for the time, the place, and the means of our 
death are all arranged by him in eternity. Glorious, soul-cheer- 



CLOSING SCENES. 277 

ing doctrine. Oh how comforting that nothing is left to chance 
or circumstances, but all unalterably fixed — fixed in eternity ! 
' The hairs of our head are all numbered. ' ' A sparrow cannot 
fall to the ground without our heavenly Father,' and far less 
one of his ordained ambassadors. Kemember the words of the 
Lord Jesus, ' K ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said I 
go to my Father, ' and in the hope that our dear departed are 
with the Father and Jesus, let us try to act in accordance with 
the same spirit. ' ' 

The following is th^ conclusion of Mrs. Johnston's 
letter : 

"For a few weeks after Fulton's death I was almost con- 
stantly bedfast. I fell away so much in flesh that Mr. Paton 
said he would not have known me — that I was a skeleton. He 
told me afterwards that at one time he had little hopes of my 
recovery. I ate scarcely anything for some weeks. Still I had 
no pain, but felt very weak and stupid. Mr. Paton said my 
thoughts wandered very much. By the mercy and goodness of 
Grod I am able to go about the house again. But I am very 
weak yet. I am writing this letter only at times, when I find 
my hand steady enough. I left our house vacant, and am stop- 
ping in Mr. Paton' s. I could not stop alone in the lonely house 
in the midst of savages. We have serious times with the na- 
tives. This week past we have scarcely gone to bed a night 
without fear of being molested by them. One night our house 
was surrounded by crowds of armed men, just ready at any mo- 
ment to break in upon us for our lives. We have had, for some 
days past, to sit in the house with the doors locked to prevent 
any of the savages from entering, for every party seems to be 
united against us now. The great sickness that prevails among 
them at present is the cause of their rage. They say that we 
made the disease, and we must be killed for it — that they never 
died ofi" this way before the religion came among them. My 
hand is too trembling to write any more now. You may judge 
this from the scrawl which I have given you, but I do not feel 
able to copy it. * * * 

24 



278 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

"Oh, the mercy and goodness of God! He has restrained 
the heathen from their evil purposes — put his fear into their 
hearts, that they have been led to give up their design, and say 
now that ' the bad talk is all done, that we did not make the 
sickness, and that no one will injure us.' We feel ourselves 
more safe — every one that comes in seems very kind and plea- 
sant. I may mention that a few days ago four men were killed, 
and their bodies feasted on. The savage yells as they carried 
the dead bodies past the mission-house, were the most dismal 
sounds I ever heard. " ^ * * 

During the short period that Mr. Johnstoh laboured 
on Tanna, he won the affection and confidence of the 
natives in a remarkable manner. It is true that an 
attempt was made upon his life, but this was done by 
people from a different district, in blind rage on account 
of the disease, that was, laying low so many of their 
friends, and believing that the missionaries were the 
cause of it. But those around the mission premises, 
who had come in contact with him, were strongly attached 
to him and still retain a fond recollection of him. 
To his brethren in the mission he had deeply endeared 
himself, though but a few months associated with them. 
Mr. Geddie writes : " We are now mourning the loss 
of Mr. Johnston, a very dear brother, who was per- 
mitted only seven short months among us. He was a 
young man of piety and great promise. I have met 
with few on the mission field to whom my heart was 
more drawn out." And in another letter he says, " His 
death is a serious loss to the mission. He was all that 
we could expect, and almost all that we could desire." 

We need not, after what has been said, occupy much 
time in discussing Mr. Johnston's talents or delineating 
his character. His talents, if not superior, were cer- 



CLOSING SCENES. 279 

tainly, very respectable, and had been diligently culti- 
vated, so that the productions of his pen were generally 
appreciated through the church. In his disposition he 
was gentle and affectionate. He was a man of deep 
tenderness, and all the kindly natural affections of our 
nature ruled in him with peculiar power. After what 
has been stated it is scarcely necessary to remark, that ' 
as a Christian he was a devoted servant of Christ. Few 
men have been more so. He daily walked with God ; 
and in such a sense as is given to mortals here below 
"his meat and his drink was to do the will of his Father 
who is in heaven." 

We might be disposed to dwell longer on the remark- 
able dispensation of Divine Providence by which he has 
been so early removed. To human apprehension it cer- 
tainly appears an exceedingly mysterious arrangement 
that a young man possessing to our view so many qual- 
ities fitting him for usefulness in the mission field — 
having spent so many years of labour as well as ex- 
pended so much money in preparation for his work, 
after the church had incurred such heavy expense in 
bringing him to his desired sphere of labour, should be 
cut down at the very outset of his career — when his real 
work could scarcely be said to have commenced, and that 
at a time when the field stands in such urgent need of 
labourers. It seems to our limited views scarcely re- 
concilable with the wisdom of the Divine procedure. It 
at all events makes us feel that " his ways are not as 
our ways," and to say, " how unsearchable are his judg- 
ments, and his ways past finding out." 

Yet such have been the arrangements of Divine Pro- 
vidence in every age. Not unfrequently the most zeal- 



280 MEMOIR OP S. F. JOHNSTON. 

ous and devoted of his servants are called to an early 
crown, and at the very time that the church on earth 
seems most to need their services. The good Josiah, 
whose faithfulness for a time arrested the destruction 
impending over Israel, was cut down in his early prime. 
John the Baptist was raised up at a critical era in the 
history of the church, and was sent with a high com- 
mission to reclaim a degenerate race and make ready a 
people prepared of the Lord. He came forth in the 
spirit and power of Elias, scorning the pomps and fash- 
ions of this world, and, in the spirit of undaunted 
courage, rebuking the pride of kings, as well as preach- 
ing repentance to the multitude. And his success was 
extraordinary. " He was a burning and shining light, 
and many for a season were willing to rejoice in his 
light." But his course was short, his public ministry 
perhaps little exceeding that of our beloved friend in the 
South Seas, and he was cut off by a violent death while 
yet his years were comparatively few. At the outset 
of the church's career in propagating the gospel, she was 
called to mourn over a Stephen, " a man full of faith 
and of the Holy Ghost," summoned to wear the mar- 
tyr's crown while seemingly but beginning his work. 
In after ages God has been pleased to deal with his 
church in a similar manner. How mysterious the ar- 
rangement by which an Edward VI. is removed, lead- 
ing to the arresting of the work of Reformation in 
England and the subjecting the church to the cruelties 
of "Bloody Mary." And in modern times how un- 
timely seemed the removal of a Spencer, a Summer- 
field, or a McCheyne. 

And yet we know that all these things are the doing 



CLOSING SCENES. 281 

of the Lord. " Our times are in his hands, the number 
of our months is with him, he hath appointed our 
bounds that we cannot pass." "Not a sparrow falls to 
the ground without our heavenly Father," and much 
less can we suppose that the termination of the life of 
one of his intelligent creatures is left in uncertainty. 
Especially we know that all the circumstances, as to the 
time and mode in which his servants terminate their 
earthly services, are directed in infinite wisdom. In 
reality the death of the righteous can never be untimely. 
As far as they are personally concerned we all acknow- 
ledge this. "Death cannot come untimely to him who 
is prepared to die." But we should have the same con- 
fidence that the removal of none of God's servants is 
untimely as far as their work on earth is concerned. 
No Christian dies in the midst of his usefulness, as we 
often improperly say. He cannot be removed till the 
work assigned him has been finished. Whatever then 
we might have wished, or whatever we might have con- 
sidered best, we may be assured regarding our dear 
friend that all was determined in infinite wisdom. He 
had finished the work given him to do, his course was 
fulfilled, his warfare was accomplished. 

But still human reason asks why was his course so 
short. It were enough to reply, that such was the will 
of God, and that our duty is to manifest submission to 
his will, and to have faith in his wisdom, even when we 
cannot understand. Still we can see important ends to 
be served by such a dispensation. How loudly does it 
proclaim the divine sovereignty — that " he doeth ac- 
cording to his will in the armies of heaven and among 

the inhabitants of the earth — that none can stay his 

24 « 



282 MEMOIR OP S. F. JOHNSTON. 

hand or say unto him what doest thou." With equal 
clearness does it teach us God's independence and all- 
sufficiency. We are apt to imagine that the cause of 
God is dependent upon this or that human agent. But 
by such removals God teaches us that no man is neces- 
sary for his cause — that he can work with or without 
human agency — that if he removes one he can raise up 
others with equal or better qualifications, and even make 
the death of his servants to conduce to the promotion 
of his cause. Thus, while the church is daily losing the 
fairest of her children and the most devoted of her la- 
bourers, the cause of God still goes on. " All flesh is 
grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of 
the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but 
the word of our God shall stand for ever;" thus illus- 
trating the all-sufficiency of him, whose is the work, 
and who will bear the glory. We know too that their 
removal is in kindness to them, and we might hear them 
saying, "If ye loved me ye would rejoice, because I go 
with my Father." True, their course was short, but 
their reward will be none the less brilliant. We know 
who has said, "It was well that it was in thine heart," 
and he has taught us that in his judgment those servants 
who were ready to labour and willing to sacrifice in his 
cause, but who had not the opportunity afl'orded them 
of so doing, shall, though they should have laboured but 
one hour, be rewarded even as those who have borne 
the burden and heat of 'the day (Matt. xx. 1-16). We 
know too that none of their powers are lost — that they 
have gone to a scene, not of idle self-indulgence, but 
of nobler employment, where they shall find a higher 
and perfectly holy sphere for the exercise of every ca- 



CLOSING SCENES. 283 

pacity for serving God. We know too that such dis- 
pensations teach many solemn lessons to survivors indi- 
vidually and to the church at large, especially calling 
upon us loudly to " work while it is day, for the night 
Cometh when no man can work." 

That the death of our beloved brother will serve 
valuable ends both among the heathen in Tanna and in 
the church at home we believe, as we believe in the wis- 
dom of Him whose doing it is. He has given the people 
there an example of Christian benevolence of the 
highest kind, even the laying down his life for their 
salvation — which indeed their darkened souls cannot 
yet appreciate, but which we hope they will yet under- 
stand and value. But it seems that more than the in- 
structions of his life were needed. Our heavenly Father 
saw it good that he should also show them how the 
Christian dies — that he afford an example of Christian 
burial and of the hopes that blossom o'er a Christian's 
tomb. In these ways, he being dead, will yet, we trust, 
long continue to speak ; and who knows but his grave 
in that dark and distant land may speak in louder tones 
and yield more profitable lessons than even his living 
voice. 

The church at home too has her lessons to learn from 
this event. If it teach us to cease from man and con- 
fide more fully in the power and promises of the great 
Head of the church — and thus evoke throughout the 
church a spirit of more earnest and believing prayer — 
it will be the harbinger of glorious days for our mission 
on those islands — yea, indeed, of the years of the right 
hand of the Most High. Oh ! that we all felt too the 
call addressed to us to imitate the faith and devotedness 



284 MEMOIR OF S. F. JOHNSTON. 

and zeal of him who has gone to rest, and that the 
whole church were awakened by his example to a deeper 
consecration to that glorious work in which he laid down 
his life. Surely we have now a new interest in Tanna. 
Its soil contains precious dust. The patriarchs of old, 
in burying their dead in Canaan, intimated that thus 
they claimed the land as promised for a possession ; and 
has not the church, when she has secured a possession 
of a burying-place on Tanna, likewise signified that she 
has taken possession of that isle as part of the promised 
inheritance of the Redeemer? Oh! then, "let us go 
up at once and possess it." Let there be no failing of 
faith — no magnifying of difficulties, as there was on the 
part of the unbelieving Israelites. " If the Lord de- 
light in us, then he will bring us into this land and give 
it us." So that on the glorious resurrection morn, when 
the mortal part of our beloved brother shall put on im- 
mortality, thousands of the redeemed and regenerated 
sons of Tanna, rising like him in glory and beauty, 
shall gather round to utter their acclamations of joy, as 
they behold him receiving his everlasting crown. 




T. Smclair's litti, PhiL=^ 



WKYo dJo Wo M ATM IS g^ © X> 



MEMOIR 



OF 



EEV. J. W. MATHESON, 



AND 



MRS. MARY JOHNSTON MATHESON. 



MEMOIR 



OV 



MR. AND MRS. MATHESOK 



CHAPTER I. 

MM. MATHESON'S EARLY TEARS, 

The Rev. John William Matheson was born at Ro- 
gers' Hill, county of Pictou, N. S., on the 14th April, 
1832, and was the second son of Mr. Alex. Matheson, 
of that place. He enjoyed the high honour of a pious 
ancestry. His paternal great grandfather emigrated 
from Sutherlandshire, in Scotland, to Pictou, in the year 
1773, in the ship Hector, the first emigrant vessel from 
Scotland to that port. He was one of what might be 
called the advanced guard of that Scottish emigration, 
which has occupied almost the whole eastern part of 
Nova Scotia, and moulded the character of its inhabi- 
tants. Soon after his arrival, he removed to London- 
derry, N. S., where he settled upon a farm, and after 
a few years, had arrived at a condition of comparative 
comfort. But hearing that the gospel was preached in 
Pictou by the late Dr. McGregor, in the Gaelic lan- 
guage, he sold his ^property and removed to Rogers* 
Hill, in that county, that he might enjoy what he re- 

287 



288 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

garded as the inestimable privilege of hearing " the joy- 
ful sound " in his own mountain tongue. 

His two sons occupied places of usefulness in the 
church in that portion of the Lord's vineyard. One of 
them was the late William Matheson, Esq., so well 
known throughout the province for his princely liberality 
on behalf of every Christian enterprise. The other, 
the late John Matheson, grandfather of the subject of 
this Memoir, was one of the first Elders ordained by the 
late Rev. Duncan Ross after his settlement at West 
River. He was a man of devoted piety, and universally 
esteemed. He continued during the whole period of 
the ministry of that eminent servant of Christ, and for 
a short time under his successor, to discharge the duties 
of that office with credit to himself and benefit to the 
congregation. 

By his mother's side, Mr. M. was a great grandson 
of Kenneth Eraser, one of the first elders ordained in 
the county of Pictou, under the ministry of Dr. Mc- 
Gregor, and particularly noticed by him in his autobio- 
graphy for his amiable disposition and Christian know- 
ledge. The piety of his ancestors was continued in his 
father's family, in which, from his earliest years, h« 
enjoyed the benefits of a thorough Christian training 
and example. From early life he appeared in some 
degree under the influence of religious truth, and was 
always correct in his deportment. It was not, however, 
till he was about sixteen or seventeen years of age, that 
he gave decided evidence of having passed from death 
unto life. At this period he passed through a season 
of deep religious conviction. He was then, as always, 
unusually silent regarding his feelings ; but from those 



MR. MATHES0N"S early YEARS. 289 

closely associating with him the severity of the struggle 
through which he was passing could not be concealed. 
The intensity of his emotions appeared in his counte- 
nance and behaviour, and he was found at times leaving 
his work to retire to some lonely spot to pour out his 
heart in prayer. After a time he emerged into the sun- 
shine of Christian hope and joy, and gave the first 
indication of the change that had passed over him, by 
intimating to his parents his desire to study, with the 
view of preaching the gospel. From this early period 
he also gave hints that his mind was directed to the 
Foreign Mission field, and thenceforward his prayers 
in the family circle plainly revealed the place which that 
work occupied in his heart. 

Up till this time he had enjoyed only the ordinary 
education of a country common school, which . then, as 
yet in many parts of Nova Scotia, was poor enough. 
To prepare for the Seminary, he commenced attending 
the Grammar school, at Durham, then under the charge 
of Mr. Daniel McDonald. This was at the distance of 
four miles from his father's house, the road leading over 
some steep ascents and bleak hills. Yet in winter's 
snow and summer's heat, in the rain and blasts of 
spring and autumn, he daily walked thither in the 
morning and back again in the evening to his father's 
house, where much of the night was spent in preparing 
the tasks of the following day. Thirteen months were 
spent in this way, after which he was admitted to the 
philosophical classes of the Seminary of the Presbyte- 
rian Church of Nova Scotia. In these labours, if not 
earlier, the seeds were sown of that malady, which 
eventually ended his days. He had a few years before 
25 



290 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

had the measles, which as in many instances left behind 
it a cough, from which he w^as scarcely ever entirely free, 
and which was easily revived on the slightest cold, and 
his close application to study in these and subsequent 
years, no doubt aggravated these unfavourable symp- 
toms. 

He attended the classes of that Institution during the 
Sessions of 1850, 1851 and 1852, and during this time 
his labours were not diminished. His early education 
had been imperfect — his preparation for entering the 
Seminary had been hurried and slight, so that he 
laboured under great disadvantages. Besides, it would 
be uncandid in us to attribute to him brilliant talents, 
or great aptitude for acquiring knowledge. So far from 
this, all his attainments were the result of the severest 
labour. What he did he did by a dead lift. Every 
step of his progress was earned by consuming toil. He 
was one of those whose learning is purchased not only 
by the sweat of their brow, or the expenditure of their 
worldly means, but we may say by their life blood. 
The relaxations by which other students relieve the se- 
vere strain of mental exertion were to him unknown. 
*' To scorn delights and live laborious days " was the 
only path open to him to gain the position upon which 
his heart was set. Yet his was none of the ambition of 
the mere scholar. For no earthly laurels did he thus 
strive. On the contrary, his devotion to his studies was 
only as a means to an end. Steadily was his eye fixed 
on the one object — to preach Christ and him crucified. 
For this alone he spent his days in exhausting study 
and burnt the midnight oil. He was known then for 
his deep piety, and though somewhat reserved in his- 



MR. MATHESON^S EARLY YEARS. 291 

manners, none questioned the purity of his motives or 
the loftiness of his aims. 

In the prosecution of his studies, he thus manifested 
a feature of character which was prominent in his mis- 
sionary career : viz., an indomitable perseverance in 
whatever he undertook, an inflexible persistency of pur- 
pose, a true Scottish dourness, which no discouragement 
could shake, and from which no temptations could turn 
him aside. This feature is necessary to all great 
achievements, and has always been an element, to a 
greater or less extent, in the character of the men who 
have ■ overcome great difficulties or accomplished great 
undertakings. But when not regulated by sound judg- 
ment, when ruled by self-will, it degenerates into mere 
stubbornness and obstinacy, and either does no good or 
produces positive evil. 

Mr. M.'s perseverance in his studies was not without 
its reward. Though he never ranked as a first class 
scholar, yet he attained to a respectable proficiency in 
all the branches taught at the Seminary. And after 
three years of attendance at the philosophical classes, 
he was readily, in 1852, admitted to the Theological 
Hall, then under the charge of Dr. Keir and Professor 
Smith. He attended upon the prelections of these re- 
spected fathers during that and the three following ses- 
sions. During the intervals of the classes, he taught 
school at Onslow and some other places. His attend- 
ance at the Hall presents scarcely any points calling 
for remark. The same devotedness to his studies, the 
same perseverance in whatever he undertook, the same 
piety, the same gentle manners as in his previous course, 
still distinguished him, with perhaps a deeper serious- 



292 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

ness and solemnity of manner than was usual even 
among divinity students. In private he endeavoured 
to be useful in such labours as Sabbath- school teaching. 
By his inoffensive manners and amiable disposition, he 
won the esteem of his associates, and others with whom 
he came in contact, though some would have desired to 
see in him a more free and familiar turn, and perhaps 
his usefulness would have thus been increased. 

After passing through the usual curriculum of study, 
he was licensed by the Presbytery of Pictou on the 18th 
December, 1855, and immediately commenced his la- 
bours in the Home Mission field, in which he continued 
for a few months. If not popular, he was acceptable 
as a preacher, and would readily have obtained a call 
and an eligible settlement in some of the vacancies at 
home. But his heart was among the heathen, and hav- 
ing made proof of his gifts, he in the following summer 
tendered his services to the Foreign Mission Board, and 
at their meeting on the 23d September, he was formally 
accepted as a missionary to the New Hebrides. 

From his close application during the whole course 
of his preparatory studies, the seeds of his fatal disease 
had begun to germinate. Still, as usual with consump- 
tive persons, he could not see or believe that he was in 
danger, and he even manifested a reluctance, which grew 
upon him and afterwards became very strong, to have 
anything said on the subject. When according to the 
rules of the Board, he underwent a medical examina.- 
tion, the physician employed, at once pronounced him 
as having a decided tendency to pulmonary disease, and 
stated that his only hope of vigorous health was in an 
early departure to a warm climate, but gave it as his 



MR. MATHESON'S early YEARS. 293 

opinion, (and the same view was held by others of the 
highest standing in the profession) that he might live 
many years and have strength to labour, in such a cli- 
mate as that of the New Hebrides. Experience has now 
shown that this is a view upon which we cannot rely in 
our missionary operations in the South Seas. It is now 
, certain that persons who could not live in this climate 
from pulmonary disorders, need not expect to be effi- 
cient labourers there. This has been shown in the case 
of both Mr. and Mrs. Matheson. Among the natives 
consumption is by no means uncommon, and the fever 
and ague to which all the residents on these islands are 
80 liable, is not only debilitating in itself, but leaves its 
effects upon the weaker parts of the system, and deve- 
lopes any tendency to pulmonary or other complaints. 
It .must be remarked too that the missionary work in- 
volves an amount of toil, which only persons in sound 
health should undertake, particularly in such a debili- 
tating, and it must be confessed, unhealthy climate. 
We may add, however, as a curious fact, that Mr. In- 
glis states that dyspepsia and other complaints of the 
digestive system are unknown on Aneiteum. 

After having undergone the usual trials, he was or- 
dained in Prince Street Church, Pictou, on the 12th of 
November of that year (1856.) The Rev. James Wat- 
son, his pastor, preached from Rom. i. 15 : " So aS 
much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to 
you which are at Rome also." The Rev. Georg^^ 
Walker offered the ordination prayer, the Rev. James 
Bayne delivered the charge, and the Rev. A. P. Miller 
addressed the congregation. 

The winter of 1857 was spent by him in Philadel- 
26 * 



294 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

phia, principally in prosecuting medical studies. Here 
lie met with much kindness, as all our missionaries who 
have gone thither have done. He was presented with 
free tickets to the medical classes, and received much 
attention from the ministers with whom he became ac- 
quainted. Here he devoted himself to his work with 
the same perseverance, that characterized him through- 
life, and with most injurious effects on his physical sys- 
tem. Attending daily upon a number of classes, visit- 
ing the dissecting room and the hospitals during the rest 
of the day — spending much of his nights in study, and 
being fully employed on the Sabbaths in preaching, 
comprised a course of labour, sufficient to impair a 
stronger constitution than his. Before spring he w^as 
reduced to a state of weakness, of which we believe he 
never informed the church or his friends. We only 
learned incidentally afterwards on a visit to Philadel- 
phia, that his cough had been so severe, that some fears 
were entertained lest he should not be able to return 
home. Undoubtedly the seeds of consumption then be- 
came firmly rooted, and were never eradicated. 

He returned to Nova Scotia in the spring, much im- 
proved in health, but still with that unmistakable cough. 
The summer was spent in visiting the churches. It is 
believed by some that it was by his labours in this way, 
that the tendencies of his constitution to pulmonary dis- 
ease were developed. We are satisfied that this is a 
mistake. At no time in Nova Scotia was he so unwell 
as he was in Philadelphia. We saw him on the day of 
his arrival at West River, and his cough was then quite 
harassing. In fact we believe that relief from close 
confinement, and travelling much in the open air had 



MR. MATHESON'S early YEARS. 295 

the effect of checking for a time the symptoms which 
had already begun to manifest themselves. Still there 
was enough to excite much fear as to the result, and 
many doubts as to the wisdom of sending him to such a 
work while his health was so feeble. Indeed, we be- 
lieve, that had he undergone a medical examination at 
that time, he would not have been sent. But we relied 
upon the opinions previously given, and hoped that 
these symptoms were of a temporary nature, and would 
yield to the influences of a sea voyage and a milder 
climate. 

In his visits he drew forth many warm feelings to- 
ward himself, and awakened much interest in the Mis- 
sionary cause. His appearance and manner were pleas- 
ing. In temperament he was very different from Mr. 
Johnston, yet both were interesting. Mr. Johnston 
was open, frank, with a boyish appearance, and gene- 
rally a boyish exuberance of spirits. Mr. Matheson was 
quiet and reserved, with a modest retiring demeanour, 
and the appearance of a slight tendency to melancholy 
in his constitution. He was rather above the medium 
height, his features agreeable, and the expression of his 
countenance pleasing, though that somewhat hectic flush 
on his cheek, to the more thoughtful caused sad fore 
bodings as to his future career. His addresses were 
solemn and impressive, and breathed the true spirit of 
the Missionary. He thus won the confidence and affec 
tion of the church, and received large contributions 
towards his outfit. Large farewell meetings Avere held 
in Pictou, Halifax, and other places. As we have none 
of his correspondence at this period of his life, nor any 
record of his private exercises, we shall insert here part 



296 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

of his farewell address at Pictou, as an exhibition of the 
views and feelings with which he entered upon the work 
of a Missionary. 

"Perhaps fathers and brethren, it may not be deemed amiss 
to mention some of the motives by which I was actuated in the 
selection of a foreign field, in preference to labouring at home- 
The cry from heathen lands has been long and loud, and must 
be answered, therefore in inquiring what was duty, I did not 
confer with flesh and blood ; I did not institute . the inquiry, 
where shall I enjoy the best health, where shall I live the longest, 
where shall I be in the possession of the largest amount of the 
enjoyments of life, but 'Lord, where wilt thou have me to go,' 
' Lord what wilt thou have me to do. ' The comparative wants 
of the two fields, my own desires and Grod's providential deal- 
ings with me ever since I began to appreciate the blessings of the 
Gospel, seemed to direct my course far hence among the Gentiles. 
To me the question has always seemed a very important one. 
Can I do more for the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom in 
a heathen land than I can at home ? And believing that the 
ways and dealings of Go4 did indeed point to a heathen land as 
the scene of my future labours, feeling this coming home as I 
did, when time after time your Board instituted the inquiry, 
' Whom shall we send and who will go for us ;' I was led with 
deep humility, and yet with cheerfulness to say, ' Here am I, 
send me, ' And never since I came to the conclusion to go far 
hence among the Gentiles, has an emotion of regret crossed my 
mind ; but trusting that I arrived at that determination, guided 
by that God who said to Moses of old, ' My presence shall go 
with thee, &c.,' and who still says to his followers, 'I am thy 
salvation, ' having this assurance in view — of dangers and diflSi- 
culties both by sea and land, I feel enabled to say, ' None of 
these things move me. ' But though it be painful to bid adieu 
to kindred, to country, and to home, to the scenes of one's 
earliest infancy, to the friends with whom we may have spent 
our first and happiest days — to the plaoe of our fondest attach- 
ment where we have experienced the warmest expressions of 
parental affection, and to set out, like the patriarch of old to a 



MR. MATHESON's early YEARS. 297 

strange land, ignorant of the reception which we shall receive 
from the inhabitants thereof; — ^yet to all these, who would not 
bid adieu, to gather jewels bright and precious, not such as glit- 
ter in the coronets of earthly princes, not the glittering ore dug 
from Australian and Californian mines — not such freights as 
ships from Tarshish brought which came from Ophir triennially 
laden with gold and iyory — but jewels, blood-bought jewels, 
which shall outlive the ordeal of a burning world and the last 
conflagration, and be recognised as his by the Redeemer in that 
day when he makes up his cabinet, and set to shine eternally 
around the brow of our enthroned Immanuel ? Responsive to the 
call of the heathen world, ' Come over and help us,' with the 
commission and promise of our ascended Lord, believing that 
Grod hath led me hitherto, my soul rests in the promises, ' I will 
never leave thee, ' ' Lo I am with you always. ' In the attributes 
of Jehovah I would find my safety, at home and abroad. In 
unhealthy climes, and on the rolling billows of the mighty deep, 
my dwelling-place and my home would be in the infinite, eternal 
and unchangeable Grod. But who among us in the possession 
of Christian feeling — whose heart has been touched with afi"ec- 
tion for one another — who has felt the delights of home and 
been cheered by the joys of social life, but must feel convinced 
that there are sacrifices painful in the extreme, connected with 
such an undertaking ; and not among the least of them is bid- 
ding adieu to you, my brethren in the Lord, my brethren in the 
ministry — from you whose years entitle you to the appellation 
of fathers. Permit me to thank you for the many kindnesses 
unmerited, which I have received from your hands, kindnesses 
which I shall never forget — the memory of which I shall ever 
cherish, go where I may. 

" My brethren, what shall I say to you, to whom sympathy 
of feeling has bound my soul ? Shall we now part no more on 
earth to meet? For you I am distressed. Yery pleasant have 
you been to me. To me your love, your kindness, and sym- 
pathy, have been wonderful beyond experience. To you my 
soul has been and is still knit as David's to that of Jonathan's. 
But though it be, indeed, painful thus to part with you, I do, 
yea, and will, rejoice that in God's kind providence, you have 



298 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

counted me faithful, to send me to the distant isles of the ocean, 
there to endeavour to unfold the wonders of redeeming love — 
a work in which, above all others, by the grace of God, I would 
gladly spend and be spent. And yet in the view of the near 
approach of our departure, (while I here express my own senti- 
ments and feelings, permit me also to express those of one near 
and dear, who, too, is about to leave kindred, country, and 
home, ) we realize, as we never did before, the force of the pre- 
cept, that he that hath, be as he that hath not, for to us literally 
the scenery of country and home, dear friends and loving kin- 
dred, illuminated by the sunshine of strong religious affections, 
and enlivened by those expressions of your confidence and your 
sympathy, are vanishing away. We dare not allow ourselves to 
think upon what is to be forsaken ; but, keeping our eyes fixed 
steadily upon the duty and the reward, we would look forward 
with joyful anticipation to the arrival of that glorious morn, 
when departed friends in Jesus shall again meet no more to part. 
Till then, friends, it is yours to return to your dwellings in a 
Christian land, to enjoy the pleasures of social life — ours to go 
forth literally as strangers and pilgrims to the dark places of the 
earth ; and while we go forth sorrowing upon the remembrance, 
that we shall not again see your faces in the flesh, we at the 
same time go forth rejoicing in the assurance, that we have an 
interest in the prayers of God's people whom we leave behind. 
In our behalf let the voice of prayer ascend in your closets, 
around your domestic altars, and in your social intercourse one 
with another. Entertaining this hope, fathers, brethren, and 
friends, I bid you all a Christian farewell." 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 299 



CHAPTER II. 

MRS. MATHJESON'S EjLJRLT TEARS. 

Mary Geddie Matheson was born at Pictou on the 
18th October, 1837, so that at the time of her death she 
was in her 25th year. She was the daughter of Mr. 
James Johnston of that place, and the second of a family 
of one son and six daughters, of whom two died in in- 
fancy. All her relatives by the father's side were from 
Dumfries-shire in Scotland, and as might be expected 
of persons coming from a district, so redolent of Cove- 
nanter memories, have always been thorough Presbyte- 
rians. Her maternal grandfather, John Geddie, Sr., 
emigrated from Aberdeen to Pictou in the early part 
of this century. He filled the office of Ruling Elder in 
Prince St. Congregation, in that town, and was long 
known and respected for his Nathanael-like piety. But 
he and his devoted wife are deserving of particular 
mention and the gratitude of our colonial Zion, as hav- 
ing in the spirit of Hannah, devoted to the missionary 
work, and trained for its duties, their only son, the Rev. 
John Geddie, the first Missionary to the heathen, from 
any Presbyterian church in the British Colonies, the 
first missionary to the New Hebrides, for whose labours 
and success in that arduous sphere of duty, our Colonial 



300 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

churches have so much reason to bless the Author of all 
human gifts. Mary's mother had imbibed the spirit of 
her father and brother. She was distinguished by per- 
sonal piety, strengthened and refined by long subjec- 
tion to the fires of the furnace, and, like them, her heart 
was deeply interested in the welfare of the heathen. 

In early life Mary was distinguished by a cheerful 
and buoyant disposition, or perhaps we should rather 
say, a wild spirit of mirth, which was ever ready to boil 
over in harmless fun, and perhaps sometimes even in 
actual mischief. But it required no deep penetration 
to discern beneath this efiervescence of natural spirits, 
a wealth of affection, a vigour of thought and an energy 
of character, which might be expected in after life to 
make her influence felt in any sphere in which her lot 
might be cast. 

Circumstances in the family history soon tended to 
develope all her thoughtfulness and to bring her mind 
to an early maturity. She was born with every reason- 
able prospect of worldly comfort, if not of wealth. But 
scarcely was her childhood past, till the shadows began 
to settle deep and dark around the family hearth. 
Troubles, into the particulars of which we may not enter, 
bore heavily upon that circle. We may say in general 
that they involved the heavy pressure of anxiety re- 
garding the means of living, and that under circum- 
stances the most painful to the affectionate heart. 

At a period when most children are still engaged with 
their plays and their school tasks, she was called to face 
the stern realities of life. Very early she was called 
to render her assistance to her mother in bearing the 
burden of care, which rested so heavily upon her. Thus 



MRS. MATHESON's EARLY YEARS. 301 

the sorrows by which her young days were shaded, very 
rapidly developed the seemingly wild thoughtless girl 
into the thoughtful, careful woman. 

When scarcely sixteen years of age she commenced a 
school, it being necessary for her to engage in some em- 
ployment that would aid in the support of the family. 
She was always small, but at this time her face and 
figure were alike so girlish, that she appeared as one who 
would have been more in place with other children, ga- 
thering wild flowers or enjoying a good romp, rather 
than assuming the duties of their guide and instructor. 
In reality her heart was as truly girlish, or, we might 
say, childlike, as her face ; and with all relish could she 
have entered into the sports of the playground. Indeed 
we almost imagine her sighing as she looked out on 
those so engaged, that she could not be among them. 
But how will she preserve the awful dignity of the 
school-mistress, and that in the presence of girls older 
and larger than herself? and how will she wield the fe- 
rule ? and that affectionate heart, that gentle soul, that 
could have shrunk from wounding the feelings of the 
meanest of God's creatures, how will it administer that 
correction the due infliction of which was regarded in 
an age not long past, if indeed it is past, as essential to 
the communication of knowledge ? Yet rule her school 
she did, and that by the influence of that loving and 
lovable face, the power of her winsome ways, and the 
might of an irresistible sweetness, to which even the 
boy, whose rising pride began to mount at the idea of 
being ruled by a girl, was constrained to yield. As a 
teacher she was successful. Entering into the minds 
of the young as one of themselves, she not only suc- 
26 



302 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

ceeded in communicating instruction, but won her way 
to the hearts of her pupils, so that they loved her while 
she was among them, followed her career in the mis- 
sionary field with deepest interest, mourned her when 
she died, and still retain among their heart treasures 
the happy memories of their girl teacher. 

" It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his 
youth," and the trials of Mary's early years were doubt- 
less the means, through the blessing of God, of moulding 
her character for good, and developing the strength and 
beauty which it manifested in after life. They drew 
tighter the cords of ajBfection among the members of the 
home circle, so that even the erring shared in their sym- 
pathy and attention, if by any means such might be won 
by kindness. As the storms of adversity beat around 
the dwelling, the inmates nestled more closely together. 
Her own sufferings produced deeper sympathy with suf- 
fering in every form. They brought out a thoughtful- 
ness and consideration, a maturity of judgment, a spirit 
of determination and energy, which many would scarcely 
have expected in the light-hearted and seemingly 
thoughtless girl of a few summers before. She herself 
afterward spoke of these trials as having broken her 
spirits and crushed her energies. Doubtless such a 
feeling of despondency must have often arisen in her 
mind. Discouraged she frequently was, and the heavy 
pressure of difficulties tempted her to a feeling of de- 
spair. But such a feeling was but temporary, and Ave 
believe that her trials really served to evoke her ener- 
gies and to strengthen her character. 

But especially did her trials lead her to her God and 
Saviour, and thus work in her the peaceable fruits of 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 303 

righteousness. If thej were not the means of drawing 
her heart to the blessed Jesus, (and we believe that they 
were among the means employed in Divine Providence 
for that end,) they certainly refined her Christian cha- 
racter and deepened all her Christian excellences. "At 
twilight," she writes in her diary one evening on Tan- 
na, " this evening, my thoughts wandered back to child- 
hood — when a cloud was passing over our dwelling, and 
the hand of our God rested heavily* upon us — when he 
said, ^I love thee — pass under the rod.' And now I 
have seen the meaning of it, and why the furnace was 
needed." And in another place she says, "I have 
thought much to-day, I know not why, of years long 
gone by, and yet not with regret. It is rather with a 
tender feeling mingled with gratitude, for I have traced 
a Father's hand in all. Though some of the dispensa- 
tions of his providence have been almost overwhelming 
— though often this heart has bled under severe trials — 
yet they have all been sent for one blessed purpose — to 
loosen the hold of my affections upon this world, to 
teach me early that this is not my rest, that to those 
to whom affliction is sanctified there remaineth a glori- 
ous rest. Oh, if it have accomplished these ends, how 
sweet to be afflicted, how delightful to be one of those 
of whom it is said, ' Whom the Lord loveth he chasten- 
eth !' Yes, let the world look coljjlyupon me, let friends 
forsake, I care not, I am rich. In possessing Jesus I 
possess all things. He is the friend that sticketh closer 
than a brother." 

From her earliest years she had enjoyed the instruc- 
tions and example of a pious mother, and circumstances 
in childhood brought her much into the society of her 



304 MEMOIll OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

excellent grandmother. x\t an early period she mani- 
fested a deep interest in religious truth. Around the 
fireside and in the Sabbath-school, and afterward in her 
pastor's Bible-class, she eagerly drank in divine know- 
ledge. But early she began herself to adopt means 
to promote her spiritual welfare, not only taking plea- 
sure in religious literature, but being much engaged in the 
careful study of her Bible. Morning and evening she 
not only regularly read her chapter, but carefully stu- 
died its meaning with such helps as she had, and even 
committed large portions to memory. Hence she mani- 
fested in after life a familiar acquaintance with the words 
of inspiration, and an extent of scripture knowledge, 
very uncommon in one of her age. 

At what time she first experienced the saving grace 
of God we cannot exactly say. She was not very posi- 
tive on the subject herself. "Am I a Christian," she 
says once in her diary? "If I am I do not remember 
any particular time in which I was converted, as peo- 
ple say. I know that once I tried to make myself one 
by good works, and by trying of myself to overcome 
all that was evil within me. Now I know I leave it all 
to Jesus and look entirely out of self." But she first 
made a public profession of religion in the autumn of 
1855, when she was just 18 years of age. At that time 
her religious character was well established, and she ex- 
hibited a maturity of Christian experience, rarely seen 
in one so young. At that same period she commenced 
keeping a diary. This she did conscientiously, as a 
means of studying her own heart and securing her ad- 
vancement in the divine life, and for the same ends she 
strongly recommended the practice to others. The first 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 305 

entry we transcribe as it refers to her making a profes- 
sion of religion. 

"Dec. 8. Attended meeting and heard the sublime truths of 
the gospel declared by our minister. Oh what a mercy that I 
am permitted to enjoy that privilege ! Oh may I practise the 
duties enjoined, and not be like the stony ground hearers, who 
receive the word with joy, but having no root, they endure but 
for a time, and when troubles arise fall away ! But may I follow 
my Lord joyfully even unto death. May I glorify him here on 
earth. 0, Lord, deliver me from the thousands of temptations 
that beset me at every step ! Oh leave me not to my own 
wicked heart, but enable me to put mj^ trust in him alone ! 

"Last Sabbath I publicly gave myself to Grod, and was per- 
mitted to commemorate my Saviour's djdug love. Oh what a 
wonder, that I, the most unworthy of mortals, should be brought 
to the marriage supper of the Lamb ! And what am I, and 
what is my father's house, that thou hast brought me. hitherto ! 
I have now made a profession of the Christian religion and 
given myself up to Grod in my youthful years. I have done it 
in the bloom of health, in the prime of my age. I trust I shaU 
ever find satisfaction in what I have done. I choose to take up 
my cross and daily to follow the blessed Jesus, rather than in- 
dulge myself in youthful pleasures. Indeed I have not the least 
wish for the vain amusements of life. Religion only is capable 
of giving true happiness, which will remain, when every earthly 
comfort fails. If we are destitute of this we are destitute of 
everything, which can render us truly amiable in life and happy 
through death and eternity. 

'Tis religion that can give 
Sweetest pleasures while we live. 
'Tis religion can supply 
Solid comforts when we die. 

When six days of labour each other succeeding 
Have with hurry and toil my spirits oppressed. 
How pleasant to think as the last is receding 
To-morrow will be a sweet Sabbath of rest. 
36* . 



306 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHBSON. 

From the time of her makmg a profession of reli- 
gion, and even we believe before, she began to manifest 
the reality of her religion by her efforts to promote the 
temporal and spiritual good of others. She took a class 
in the Sabbath-school, and devoted herself with much 
assiduity to its duties, preparing carefully the lessons, 
and striving both to communicate divine truth in a man- 
ner attractive to the young, and to impress upon their 
minds a sense of its importance. But not content with 
this, she sought to be a true missionary. ' With ail the 
other claims upon her time, it was her ardent desire to 
labour for Christ and to do actual missionary work in 
bringing the outcasts into his fold. The town of Pictou 
being small, and the most of its inhabitants connected 
with some religious body, there was no such heathenism, 
or degra'ded class as is to be found in all large cities. 
Yet she found some neglected and wretched creatures, 
to whose spiritual wants she could minister. Among 
these she was a regular visitor, reading and explaining 
the scriptures, and circulating tracts, and also doing 
what she could for their outward comfort, if she had not 
the means of affording pecuniary aid, by sympathy and 
those offices of kindness, which to the wretched are of- 
ten more precious than silver or gold. What a lesson 
to many whose time is so little occupied that they have 
to invent modes of wasting it. Here was a girl in her 
teens, obliged to labour for hours in her confined school- 
room, and other hours in plying her needle, or other 
household duties for the comfort of her father's family, 
yet as we shall see presently, finding time to read and 
promote her own intellectual improvement, and in addi- 
tion under the feeling that she must do some+hing for 



MRS. MATHESON's EARLY YEARS. 307 

Christ, going out into the highways to bring in the halt, 
the maimed and the blind to the gospel-fold; — and af- 
ter all, such was her keen sense of duty, reproaching 
herself that she was not improving every moment, and 
lamenting that she was doing so little for her Saviour. 

As to the results of these visits, we cannot exactly 
mention particular cases of conversion. But we know 
that among the class referred to, the visits of that little 
fairy figure with that lovely countenance, so cheery and 
childlike, with that sweet disposition and those winning 
ways, were as those of an angel of mercy. And He 
who said "Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of 
these my brethren, ye did it unto me," has not forgot- 
ten her work of faith and labour of love. 

While thus so occupied with exhausting labours for 
the present life, and striving at the same time to labour 
for Christ, she was diligent in seeking her intellectual 
improvement. She was an eager reader, and amid other 
duties she found some odd time in which to gratify her 
love of books. Her reading was of a varied character. 
Doubtless she read works of fiction to some extent; but 
some acquaintance with literature of this kind, is neces- 
sary to one's appearance with credit in general society. 
But novel reading was not the employment even of her 
leisure hours. It was not the food by which her intel- 
lect was nourished. She sometimes lamented afterward 
that her reading was not of a more solid character. 
But most young persons would have thought it solid 
enough. Not only did she peruse works of history, bi- 
ography, and travels, as she had opportunity, but she even 
read with attention works of science and theology. 

In poetry however she took especial delight. There 



308 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

was mucli of the poetical in her composition. She looked 
on nature with a poet's eye, and one of her chief earthly 
pleasures was found in the contemplation of the beauties 
of the physical world. She was given to quiet musing, 
and inclined to give herself to the flow of free-coming 
fancies. But with the stern calls of duty, and in the 
solemn views of life, which she had learned under the 
inspiration of love to God, and by the schooling of 
his providence, she afterward frequently condemned her- 
self as "dreaming away life." Of the poets Tennyson 
became her favourite, the mingled purity and grace of 
whose lines accorded so well with her spirit. But she 
was especially familiar with the best hymns in the English 
language, and took great delight in singing them, being 
passionately fond of music and having a sweet voice. 

But while diligent in reading she made much use of 
her pen. We find a sort of scrap-book filled with ex- 
tracts from her favourite authors, but she also employed 
herself in original composition, both in prose and rhyme. 
The latter seemed her favourite exercise. On every 
subject which interested her, she was apt to give ex- 
pression to her feelings in verse. It was a sort of plea- 
sant amusement for her in her leisure hours to allow her 
pen freely and without an effort to catch the thoughts 
and fancies as they flitted through her mind; and if she 
did not, like Dr. Watts, " lisp," she very early thought 
and wrote, "in numbers, for the numbers came." 

As she never intended any of her poetical pieces for 
the press, but as she said, " only rhymed to amuse her- 
self " — as they were hastily written, and that before 
she had passed her 21st year, and never received 
those finishing touches, an author is expected to 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 309 

give to his productions, we have hesitated about pub- 
lishing any of them, lest we should do injustice to her 
powers. However, we give two specimens. 

EMILY, OR "LOOKING TO JESUS." 

WRITTEN AT SYDNEY, UPON READING A SMALL BOOK WITH THE ABOVE 

TITLE. 

*' 'Twas midnight : — at a dying bed, 

A mother watched with eager care, 
To see if life's last sands had fled, 
Or was the spirit lingering there ? 

'* And oft she breathed the silent prayer, 
That God would spare her only child. 
Or teach her gently how to bear. 
And make her spirit reconciled. 

*' The dying saint in gentle tones, 

That well nigh wrung that parent's heart. 
Said, ' Mother, I am going home, 
I feel 'tis better to depart.' 

** The morn scarce dawned — a deep-drawn sigh 
Issued from out that heaving chest, 
A gentle sob, she closed her eye. 
And sank to an eternal rest. 

" No arms escutcheoned mark the spot^ 
Naught save a simple lowly stone, 
Where Emily's laid — forget her not, 
But make her virtues all thine own."* 

* Written to keep in remembrance this sweet story. 
WOKK FOR THEE. 

WRITTEN AT SEA, FEB'Y 24, 1858. 

■^ ** When the paly moon with silvery light. 
Dispels the darkening shades of night, 
When the crested foam is on the tide. 
And the heaving billows swiftly glide. 



310 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

*' When the twinkling stars with joyous glee, 
Keflect their beams on the deep blue sea, 
'Tis then this heart by sorrow riven, 
Steals away from earth and soars to heaven. 

" Oh, ye departed spirits blest, 
Say is your heaven a heaven of rest ? 
I have often heard that sorrow or care, 
Sickness or sighing ne'er enter there. 

•* This sin-wrapt soul would fain be free, 
Though earth has charms, they are not for me. 
I long to soar to the mansions above, 
And bask in the rays of undying love. 

" Methought as I gazed on the azure sky, 
An angel came from the realms on high. 
"With silvery wing and noiseless tread, 
Down to this lower world it sped. 

" It spake with a sweet melodious voice, 
Whose tones bade this saddened heart rejoice, 
* Wouldst thou from this sinful world be free ? 
Know thou, thy Saviour hath work for thee.* 

"I thought as I gazed on the seraph face, 
Beaming with love and kindly grace. 
It arose with pinions of beauty dight. 
And soared away to the world of light. 

*• The vision has fled, but the impress remains. 
And often when fettered by dark sorrow's chains, 
And troubles roll o'er me like waves of the sea, 

^ It whispers, * Thy Saviour hath work for thee. ' " 

But her soul was at the same time given to deep 
communings with her Maker. Afterward, and we 
believe at that time, she endeavoured to devote her 
twilight hours to religious meditation. In her private 
devotions and the study of God's word she was regular 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 311 

and frequent, and her diary, which at this time however 
contains records only at intervals of some days, affords 
specimens of sincere self-examination, and generally 
take the form of earnest prayer for that perfection, 
after which she was striving, and the want of which she 
mourned as the result of her deep searchings of heart. 

As a considerable portion of her diary during her 
19th year, has been preserved, we shall give extracts 
from it, as showing the struggles through which she so 
rapidly advanced in the divine life. 

"Dec. 16, 1855. Do thou, Lord ! make me feel more deeply 
my utter unworthiness and inability to do what is right. Oh, 
perfect thy strength in my weakness, and make thy grace suffi- 
cient for me ! Grlory be to thee, my blessed Saviour, that thou 
hast not given me up yet, and suifered me to run into destruc- 
tion in my own ways. Oh, be pleased to restrain me evermore, 
and whenever I am in danger of sliding into the broad way, let 
me not rest till I am brought back, though it be through the 
briars of affliction ! 

"Dec. 23. Oh, for humility ! Lord! give me a truly humble 
heart, root out all pride, vanity, haughtiness, and such like. 
Subjugate all evil passions. Lord ! renew my heart. 

"This world is replete with changes, misfortunes, separations, 
sins and troubles. Some are dying, others are introduced into 
this unstable state to fill up the vacancies. Some are pining on 
beds of sickness, others surfeited with exuberant health ; some 
soaring to honours and emoluments, others verging to the deep- 
est obscurity. Some are glorying in the most consummate wick- 
edness, without one relenting sigh, or one foreboding fear, others 
there are groaning under the burden of their guilt and bondage, 
ready to despair of mercy, and others exulting in the superlative 
love of Jesus, and as it were transported to the third heavens. 
Oh, that my head .were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of 
tears, that I might weep day and night over my wretched unbe- 
lief, obduracy, pride, ingratitude, and every evil of my heart ! 



312 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

Blessed be God, for Jesus Christ ! One drop of that precious 
blood, which he voluntarily shed on Calvary, can wash the stain 
away. Oh, the height, the depth, and the length of the love 
of Christ ! 

' ' 30. This year is now drawing fast to a close. A few fleeting mo- 
ments, and if Grod spare me, I shall enter upon another year. 
When I look back upon the past, there is nothing I have done. 
Truly my life has been spent as a tale that is told. Lord, if 
it be thy will to spare me to behold the commencement of the 
coming 3*ear, may I endeavour to live a life of faith on the Son 
of Grod, a life devoted to thy service ! May I not be a stumbling- 
block or an ofience to any. May I not dishonour his name. Oh 
may I be enabled to hold fast the profession of my faith without 
wavering ! Put thy fear in my heart, that I may not depart 
from thee. Strengthen me in the fulfilment of every duty. 
And if it be thy will not to spare me to the close of another year, 
oh take me to thyself, vile though I am ! Jesus died for the 
chief of sinners, but whether I live or die, may I be the Lord's ! 

" Heard this day a very impressive sermon on the uncertainty 
of life. 

" Jan. 6, 1856. I have entered on another year. So have mil- 
lions whose eyes will be closed in the sleep of death before its 
close. Dear Lord, if it is written in the book of thy decrees of 
me, ' This year thou shall die,' oh wilt thou graciously fit me for 
the event, enable me to grow in grace, and oh give me a meet- 
ness for glory ! (Here follows the same form of dedication adopted 
by Mr. Johnston, page 42. ) 

' ' Lord, if I should be spared this year, or a part of it, do not 
let me spend it in sin and carelessness, but in thy service, in 
glorifying thee ! Oh wilt thou lead me, instruct me, and keep 
me in the way wherein I should go, and throw light upon thy 
sacred word, that to me it may be sweeter than honey or the 
honey comb ! 

' ' Jan. 1 3. ' Grod be merciful to me, a sinner. ' Oh how differ- 
ent Christ's love to us from ours to him. We have not to ask 
him if he loves us. He bears on his body the marks of his 
love to us. But what have we to point to, as proofs of 
our love to liini ? What has it done for him ? What suffered ? 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 313 

Oh the contrast ! His love so strong, ours so weak. His so 
ardent, ours so cold. His so constant, ours so fickle. So high 
so deep, so long, so broad his love, its dimensions cannot be com- 
prehended. It passeth knowledge, while ours is so limited and 
so minute, it eludes research. 

Dear Lord, and shall we ever live 

At this poor dying rate? 
Our love so faint, so cold to thee, 

And thine to us so great. 

"20. ' He that eateth aught and giveth not God thanks is as 
though he robbed Grod. ' Lord, this I ask above all things ! 
Deliver me from the world and give me to think and speak and 
live in holiness, as thou didst when on earth. 

"I resolve every morning to spend the day in a godly manner, 
but at 'night I find I have not carried out my resolutions. Help 
me, oh holy Father ! I am a lost sheep, bring me into thy fold. 
Jesus is the way, the Lamb that beareth the sins of the world, 
and the true shepherd. 

' ' I see daily more of my sins. Grod help me. I have much 
need of meekness and kindness. Oh, for a gentle disposition ! 

"Feb. 3. Confessing Christ requires not great learning. 
Everywhere there is an opportunity of confessing him. What 
ought I to do then ? Believe in my heart, not be ashamed of 
the gospel, avail myself of every opportunity of confessing him, 
pray to Grod in spirit and in truth. 

"The number of my sins is great. What anger, falsehood, 
and evil lusts are in me ! Lord, how unworthy am I to be 
calleH thy child ! Yet have mercy upon me. My hope is in 
thee. With thee is salvation. 

" 10. Detach my heart, Lord, from the things of this world, 
and oh, may my afiections be riveted on thee ! Make me feel 
my own weakness and depravity more and more. Show me my 
heart ; make me feel my dependence upon thee ; fill me with 
love to thee ; open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth 
thy praises. Set a watch upon my lips ; keep the door of my 
mouth for Jesus' sake. Amen. 

^'17. How comfortable is it thus to enjoy ray Saviour ! How 
27 



314 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

much more satisfactory and substantial this bhss than that to be 
gained by a few minutes' idle conversation, or those trifling em- 
ployments which have before occupied my mind ! Lord, show 
me more of the vanity of this world, and my great need of thee. 
' Thy vows are upon me, God ! I will render praises unto thee. ' 

" Another communion season is fast approaching. Lord, 
fit and prepare me for that solemn occasion ! Oh, may I be 
clothed in the robe of Christ's righteousness — may I have on the 
wedding garment! 'Search me, God, and know my heart; 
try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked 
way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting ! ' Keep my mind 
set on thee. May I meditate much on spiritual things. I have 
need of thy grace. Quicken me, Lord, according to thy word. 
May I glorify thee here on earth, and acquire a meetness for the 
kingdom of bliss. 

" 18. Felt an amount of joy to-day beyond expression. Oh, 
let me not say peace, peace, when there is no peace ; but give 
me that peace which passeth understanding ! Oh, that every 
day of my pilgrimage might be spent as happily as this ! Lord, 
how sweet is it to commune with thee ! blessed Saviour ! 
what am I that thou art mindful of me ? 

"23. Dear Saviour, oh, fit and prepare me for the duties of 
the coming Sabbath, not only by making me truly a partaker of 
the graces, which are necessary for profitable communion with 
thee, but also by quickening them and drawing them forth into 
lively operation ! Give me thy Holy Spirit to assist me in my 
exercises at. thy table. Oh, may I enjoy a time of spiritual re- 
freshment and soul-enlivening fellowship with the Father and 
thee ; and oh, accept of my person and services through thy 
blood, which thou hast so freely shed for me ! 

"24. Sabbath. O Lord, remove all worldly thoughts entirely 
from my mind ! May Jesus reign in my heart. Oh, expand my 
heart with love to thee ! Assist me, my Saviour, in commemo- 
rating thy death this day. What love ! What mercy ! What 
compassion ! 

"Oh, blessed Saviour, I would lift up my heart to thee in 
gratitude and love for thy great mercy in permitting me to enjoy 
such sweet communion with thee in thj'^ ordinances, unworthy 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 315 

mortal that I am ! T\niy is my love so cold to thee, while thine 
passeth knowledge ? Bless me, keep me in thy fear, enable me 
to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith I am called, and to 
hold fast the profession of my faith without wavering. 

"March 9. Heavenly Father do thou forgive the sins of the 
past week. Since I have twice lately commemorated the death 
of my Saviour, oh, enable me always to bear about with me the 
dying of the Lord Jesus ! and to have a conversation becoming 
the gospel. Oh, let me not mix with vain and trifling com- 
panions, but may I place all my delight in the excellent of the 
earth ! 

' 'Better is it not to vow, than to vow and not pay. Oh, may 
my daily studj'^ be to grow more humble, meek and mild ! Keep 
me from my besetting sins. Lord ! let me never so far forget 
thee as to join in the sinful pleasures of this world — dancing and 
such amusements as would lead my heart from thee, but may all 
my pleasures be ordered for thy glory. Let my treasure be in 
heaven, and there will my heart be also. Forgetting those things 
which are behind, may I press forward to the mark for the 
prize of the high calling of Grod in Christ Jesus ! 

"23. Heaven is a place of pure enjoyment. It is full of 
brightness and of pleasure, without pain or anxiety. Grrief and 
sin are neither seen nor felt in that blessed place. There God 
reveals himself in his glory, there Jesus our advocate and inter- 
cessor sits in the chief place of honour, authority and power, 
there the pure and sinless angels rejoice and sing to the glory of 
God, without weariness or intermission, there are those whom 
Christ has purchased by blood, and there are the glorious abodes 
which continue for ever, which our Lord has procured and made 
ready for all those that believe in and receive him as their Sa- 
viour. Give me wisdom, Lord ! to guide me through life, 
and that wisdom which will prepare me for my eternal home. 

" Lord ! enable me always to prefer heaven to earth, not to 
put value upon the things of the world, nor look for complete 
happiness anywhere but in heaven, where there is no sin. May 
I constantly delight in showing forth thy praises. May I desire 
the company and conversation of thy people, and be enabled to 
live as a stranger and pilgrim on earth. Let not any worldly ob- 



316 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

ject occupy the place which Jesus should have in my heart. Let me 
not serve him with half, but with my whole heart and soul. 

"During the past week my heart has wandered much from 
thee. my Grod ! bring back thy wandering sheep, keep me in 
thy fold, remember that I am dust. ' Correct me but with judg- 
ment, not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. ' ' 

"27. A friend called from earth to heaven, after a long and 
painful illness. She sleeps sweetly in Jesus. ' Let me die the 
death of the righteous, and let my last end be Hke hers.' Let 
me never stray from the right path. Let me think that her spirit 
is watching me. I shall never forget her. Oh, heavenly Father, 
let me live to thy glory ; let me not trifle away my precious time ! 

" 30. Lord ! all my desire is before thee. Teach me thy way, 
Grod ! I wiH walk in thy truth ; make my heart to fear thy 
name. Encouraged by thy blessed word of promise, Lord ! 
that before men call thou wilt answer, and whilst they are yet 
speaking thou wilt hear, (Isa. Ixv. 24,) I now draw nigh to thee, 
and present my supplications before thee. Teach me by thy 
word and Spirit the things of my everlasting peace ; manifest 
thyself to me, as thou dost not to the world — restrain the im- 
petuosity of my temper, that I may in all things act deliberately 
as becometh one that feareth alway — that is ever looking unto 
thee for aid and direction. Lord ! preserve me calm in my 
spirit, gentle in my commands, and watchful that I speak not 
unadvisedly with my lips, moderate in my purposes, yielding in 
my temper, where the honour of my Grod is not immediately 
concerned, and ever steadfast when needful. I am too light and 
trifling in my manner. Lord ! keep me from such levity. Oh, 
make me firm and steadfast, gentle and humble ! I thank thee 
for the kindness which thou hast bestowed on me this day — for 
the love which thou hast shown unto me. Let me feel, God ! 
how sweet it is to meditate upon thee ; preserve me through this 
week ; let me not wander from thee ; let all my thoughts be of 
thee ; let them not be taken up with the things of this world. ' ' 

In reference to a portion of the last entry, it may be 
observed that her natural cheerfulness never forsook 
her. She was always fond of society, and long after, 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 317 

her spirits would in company break forth in a playfulness 
of manner, for which she sometimes blamed herself. In 
constequence of this, many seeing her in such circum- 
stances, would not have been aware of the treasures 
of deep and even sad emotions hidden beneath. " I 
am," she says, in her diary, "a strange mixture of the 
grave and the gay, the joyous and the sorrowful. In- 
deed I do not know myself." This she refers to in 
some lines of poetry written at Sydney, two years later. 

They think me gay — when in life's joys, 

I seem to take a part. 
They little know the hidden grief 

That lurks within my heart. 

When far from home and kindred ones, 

Oh ! what the soul can cheer, 
Like loving words from trusting hearts, 

Breathed softly on the ear ? 

As twilight dimly o'er the plain, 

Its sombre aspect steals, 
So on the saddened countenance. 

The heart its tale reveals. 

The trembling lip —the downcast eye, 

The heaving bosom's swell, 
Bespeak in language clear and deep, 

What words may never tell, 

"April 6. Lord! I thank thee for the gospel's joyful 
sound. Open thou mine understanding, that I may know the 
Scriptures. May I make them the men of my counsel, and the 
guide of my life. Lord ! let me not wander from thee ; make 
me meek and gentle, mild and affectionate ; give me that peace 
which passeth all understanding. Bless the duties I have been 
engaged in this day in church and in Sabbath school. Blessed 
Jesus ! let me do all to thy glory ; let me live to thee. 
27 * 



318 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

Give me a calm and thankful heart, 

From every murmur free, 
The blessings of thy grace impart, 

And make me live to thee. 

• 

Give me temporal wisdom to guide me through life, and spi- 
ritual wisdom which will prepare me for bUss hereafter. 

At night we pitch our moving tent, 
A day's march nearer home. 

"13. OGod! when I contemplate thy wondrous love, I am 
ready to sink. What a base, vile, ungrateful wretch must I be. 
Oh, let me no more trifle with that love ! Grod ! thou knowest 
my heart ; is it sincere ? I think I do love Jesus above all. Oh, 
let no worldly object have any place at all in my heart ! Let my 
life be devoted to thee ; let me live to thy glory. Be with me 
through the coming week. Keep me in thy fear, my Grod ! 
May I make much improvement, and at the close, may I be en- 
abled to say this week has not been spent in vain. 

May 11. I long to be with Jesus ! where there is no sin, no 
sorrow ; where all is love, purity and peace. Why is my love so 
cold, and why am I not doing more for the glory of Grod, and the 
benefit of my fellow creatures? Oh this hard heart ! Thou 
alone, blessed Jesus ! canst melt it and mould it to thy will. 
Would that I had a meek and mild, forbearing, and gentle 
disposition." 

"18. ' Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.' 0, 
heavenly Father, bestow upon me a gentle and forgiving spirit ! 
Let me bear ill wUl to none, and speak evil of nobody. 0, 
Lord, may I count all things but loss for the excellency of the 
knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord ! 

"Junel. 

* I would not live alway, I ask not to stay 
Where storm after storm rises dark o'er my way.' 

One after another is passing away to that better land to be with 
Jesus. Since the beginning of this year how many have gone 
to their long home — tol)e with Jesus. Sweet thought, glorious, 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 319 

happy thought ! where all is love. Why are our aiFections so 
riveted on this world and the things of it? Why averse to such 
blessings as Jesus alone can bestow ? None but the true Chris- 
tian finds Jesus precious. Am I a true Christian ? God is my 
judge. One thing I know, 

* That thou art precious to my soul, 

My transport and my trust. 
Jewels to thee are gaudy toy8, 

And gold but sordid dust.' 

" 8. How weak am I and prone to wander from the right way. 
Leave me not to myself. Lord Jesus, wash and purify me ; in- 
spire me more and more with a deep conviction ?)f the necessity 
of holiness and of being near to thee in faith and love. Oh 
may I never give way to spiritual sloth ! Let me never weary 
in well-doing. 

"16. Next Thursday is our fast, and next Sabbath our com- 
munion. What have I done since the last? Have I lived for 
the glory of Grod ? Am I growing in grace, or is my love grow- 
ing cold? Are my thoughts more of heaven and less about 
earth ? 

' ' 22, This day have I commemorated the death of my 
Saviour. How boundless is his love ! Why is my heart so cold, 
and why am I so prone to wander? Let me not backslide. Let 
me never for a moment forget thee, thou Father of mercies, but 
teach me to adore thy name for thine inestimable gift. Bless to 
my soul what I have this day heard ; let my memory retain it. 

"July 13. I have not made such progress in the divine life 
lately as I should wish to have done. Why not more instant in 
prayer ? Prayer makes the Christian armour bright. We must 
pray without ceasing. The Lord is bestowing mercies upon us. 
If we would speak of them they are more than can be num- 
bered. How shall we render thanks unto the Lord for all his 
kindness shown ? Lord, lift thou upon us the light of thy coun- 
tenance. Oh still visit us with thy mercies ; with what thou 
seest to be good for us ! Keep me, Father, from vanity and 
lightness, from pride and haughtiness ! Why should such worms 



320 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

of the dust be proud ? What is this world, the wealth or the 
pleasures of it, compared with our immortal souls? 

"27. I am very vain, frivolous, and trifling in my manner, 
and I have reason to deplore those sins and mourn deeply over 
them. Jesus alone can wash me and cleanse me. Lord, I am 
filthy, and vilely degraded by sin ; a child of Satan. But thou 
art the Lord of heaven. Oh cover me with thy spotless robes 
that my shame may not appear ! 

"Sept. 21. I wish I could ever keep in view the vain and 
transitory nature of all earthly enjoyments. I am often taken 
up with the world ; my heart is too much upon it. It makes my 
thoughts wander from thee, oh, my blessed Saviour ! Oh for 
wisdom and knowledge, and oh for a way of imparting it ! Why 
is my heart so cold ? I do not adorn the doctrine of my Lord 
and Saviour. Could any take knowledge of me that I had been 
with Jesus ? Are not my actions like those of the worldling ? 
Oh for conformity to thy will ! I can do nothing. I give my- 
self to thee. ' I am weak, but thou art mighty ; lead me with 
thy powerful hand.' " 

The original vigour of her mind and its early matu- 
rity strikingly appeared in the position which she took, 
and which was freely accorded her in the family. She 
jw^as not the first-born, but naturally and without effort 
she took the place of an eldest daughter, exercised 
a power which only in rare cases is even an eldest 
daughter permitted to wield. This she did not as as- 
suming any airs of superiority, but as if in her natural 
position ; and her influence was gained and retained in 
the exercise of a loving gentleness, which won all hearts 
in the household. Her mother leaned on her as her 
chief earthly prop. In every burden she was called to 
bear, she was sure of Mary's ready help. In per- 
plexity she found in Mary, young as she was, a prudent 
counsellor. When cares were many, Mary's cheerful 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 321 

spirit chased the clouds from her brow, or when the 
mother's heart was sinking Mary was the comforter, 
pointing her to brighter scenes beyond. "She is such 
a blessing and comfort to me," wrote her mother, "that 
at times I feel her almost necessary to my existence. 
Oh, forgive me if I sin in thinking too much of her! 
She is so dear to us all." It was wonderful too to see 
the influence which that young creature, with her petite 
figure, her childlike grace and freedom of movement 
and manner, her afi'ectionate disposition and sweet 
ways, exercised ov,er that little circle. The others 
looked up to her as to a mother, and she filled a mo- 
ther's place to them, receiving into sympathizing ears 
the tale of juvenile joy or sorrow, ministering to their 
comforts, on week days endeavouring to lead them in 
the paths of mental improvement, and on Sabbaths 
gathering them around her to read and to converse on 
spiritual things, " to hear of heaven and learn the 
way;" while that joyous spirit, which sujBTering could 
not eradicate, but had toned down to a serene cheerful- 
ness, made sunlight through the dwelling, "even in the 
cloudy and in the dark day." 

For about three years she continued to teach school, 
and to employ herself as already described. She was 
never very robust, but had hitherto enjoyed good health. 
The close confinement of her school-room, and her 
other labours began to tell upon her health, and princi- 
pally as the result of them, she was, in the autumn of 
1856, laid aside by severe illness. During the succeed- 
ing winter she was confined to the house, and much of 
the time to her bed. For some time it appeared to all 
that she was in settled consumption, and scarcely a 



322 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATIIESON. 

hope was entertained of her ultimate recovery. She 
was then brought face to face with death. Eternity 
seemed near. With a godly jealousy, lest she should 
have been deceiving herself, she studied carefully the 
question whether she was the child of God, and was 
enabled calmly to repose on the Saviour, in the assur- 
ance of his love. 

Naturally she possessed a sweet and amiable disposi- 
tion. She says indeed in one portion of her diary, " I 
have an abominable wicked temper." We are unwill- 
ing to contradict thee, sweet one, but it is useless to 
set up your opinion of -yourself against all who knew 
thee. Would that ourselves and all others had such a 
temper, or had it under such control. And now under 
this new form of trial, she manifested not only the 
sweetness of her natural disposition, but the power of 
religion, by her entire submission to the Divine will, by 
her unselfish consideration for others, by a quiet repose 
of spirit, and even a cheerfulness and joy of heart, of 
that nature which the world can neither give nor take 
away. 

During her sickness, there are not many entries in 
her diary. We subjoin the principal of them with slight 
abridgements. 

" Oct. 19. To-day the sacrament of the Lord's Supper is dis- 
pensed in our church, and I am not able to be there. Oh, that 
this may prove a solemn and impressive warning to me of the 
shortness and uncertainty of time ! 

" Yesterday I was nineteen years old. Oh, to be so vain and 
so trifling — to have so little knowledge, wisdom, and prudence I 
Youth is the time to store the mind with truths. Oh, that the 
word of Christ might dwell in me richly with all wisdom ! Lord, 
if it be thy holy will to spare me long in this world, let me lead 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 323 

a useful life, let it be to thy glory, and Lord, if it be thy will 
early to remove me, fit me for this — for a dwelling-place in 
heaven ! Let me see thee, oh, blessed Jesus, as ' the chiefest 
among ten thousand and altogether lovelj^ ! ' 

" Nov. 2. Heaven ! what a blessed thought ! Shall I ever be 
there ? If I am it will be all of grace. Oh, to be with Jesus ! 

"Feb. 22, 1857. Lord, in thy great mercy, thou hast been 
pleased to afflict me. It is good for me that I have been af- 
flicted. Before I was afflicted I went astray ; enable me now to 
keep thy word. Lord, may I come out of the furnace as gold 
purified. I have begun another year. Oh, whether my life be 
short or long, may it be devoted to thy service ! Oh, may I 
grow in grace, may I press forward to the mark ! Make me, 
Lord, more watchful and careful. Make me to see more of my- 
self — to feel the depth of the iniquity that is in my heart. Grive 
me thy grace. Of myself I can do nothing. 

"25. Why is it that I have been spared when so many are 
taken away ? Oh, it must be for some wise purpose ! I think 
that by, the grace of God, I have been enabled to overcome a 
few of my many evil habits. Lord, I look to thee ; leave me not 
to my own wicked heart. Oh, may I press forward to the 
mark, for the prize of the high calling of Grod in Christ Jesus ! 
May I not be conformed to this world. Oh, that I might live 
above it ! Be it unto me according to thy will ! 

" March L The Sabbath. When shall I learn to spend this 
day as I ought, to improve every moment? I have this day 
felt happy, while reading God's word. Oh, may I prize it more, 
and love it more than I have ever jet done ! May it be a light 
to my path. Opep mine eyes that I may understand the Scrip- 
tures. 

"What a lovely sunset! It makes me think of heaven. 
What, oh, what must heaven be when earth is so beautiful? 
But earth is not my home. Oh, set my affections on things 
above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God ! 

' Who, who would live always away from his God, 
Away from his heaven, that blissful abode ?' 

" Lord, if I be permitted to mix again with the world, may 



324 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

I not conform to its habits ! Oh, may my conversation be such 
as becometh the gospel of Grod ! May my example be such that 
men may take knowledge that I have been with Jesus and 
learned of him. 

" 8. Ohj thou Father of mercies, I would endeavour to thank 
thee for thy mercies to me ! Accept of my humble gratitude. 

"Suffer me not to fall into those snares and sins, which in 
time have been so injurious. May I not return to sin and folly. 
Oh, do thou hold up my goings in future, that my footsteps 
may not slide ! I think I have reason to hope that this affliction 
has humbled me, in particular by affecting me with a sense of 
my depravity. Show me more of this deceitful heart, Lord ! 

" 15. Am I a child of thine, oh, my Grod? Thou alone know- 
est my heart, thou knowest my foolishness, and my sins are not 
hid from thee. Oh, my heavenly Father, let not my besetting 
sins have dominion over me ! Oh, if I could always be gentle 
and mild, meek and charitable ! I am too grovelling, too worldly 
in my disposition. Oh, that my affections were more set upon 
things above ; then my mind will be less easily ruffled ! 

"22. I find in looking back that I expressed a wish that I 
might never again join in a dance, and I know that since that I 
have danced. This shows me how weak I am, and unable to do 
what is right. What would I be if left to myself? I must not 
do wrong, if others do it. Let me not look upon their faults, 
but rather emulate their good qualities. I do not think that 
members of Christ's church should dance. 

' ' Who has more reason for gratitude than I ? I am sure no 
person, and who so thoughtless and ungrateful. When I was 
wandering like a sheep away from the fold, I was gently brought 
back by the good Shepherd and Bishop of souls. Oh, my God, 
let me ever praise thee for this affliction ! I hope it has been 
sanctified to me. Would that I might see Grod's hand in every 
trouble. Gi-reat are thy mercies unto me, oh, my Father ! They 
are new every morning. I know that my conversation is light 
and trifling. I do not adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour in 
all things. 

" 29. Heb. xii. IL I know and feel that if it were always sun- 
shine with me, I would be apt to forget God. It is well that 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 325 

these little trials come to make me feel my dependence upon 
him. Oh, that when I wander, he would ever bring me back ! 
Of myself I cannot think one good thought, or do one good act. 
Oh, assist me by thy grace, and giye me thy Holy Spirit to di- 
rect me in the path of duty ! Oh, my Father, thou knowest what 
is best for me ! Enable me to say at all times, it is the Lord, let 
him do what seemeth good. If we could thank Grod for adver- 
sity as well as prosperity, how happy we might be. Let me 
evci b'^ar in mind that whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and 
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 

"April 5. Is the native pride of my heart, both with respect 
to Grod and man, in some measure subdued ? Are my thoughts 
oftener of heaven and less of earth ? Oh, let me ask myself 
these questions ! Do I feel that I am growing in grace ? Oh, 
that thou wouldst incline my heart to keep thy law ! Oh, that 
my heart might be moulded to thy will ! 

"It is from thee, most merciful Father, that every good 
gift Cometh ! Oh, that I might see the hand of Grod in every 
thing ! Thou knowest what is before me. Lord, fit and pre- 
pare me for every duty, and leave me never to my own wicked 
heart, but assist me by thy grace ! 

" I have this day walked before the door, and enjoyed for a 
few moments the fresh air and warm sunshine. Oh, that I 
could value health while I have it ! May I never be permitted 
to wander in the paths of folly. May I daily grow wiser and 
better. 

' ' 12. Have I spent this day as I ought ? Has the Sabbath 
been to me a delight ? I know my conversation has not been 
what it should. Oh, this evil heart ! I see nothing but guilt 
and dei)ravity if I look within ; but if I look to Jesus, I find a 
compassionate and forgiving Saviour. 

' ' I must feel that I can do nothing, and learn to place my 
hope and trust in Jesus. Oh, that I might live above the world 
— that I might not be conformed to its maxims and rules ! O 
Lord, guide me — let thy word be to me a light ! Grive me wis- 
dom to guide me through life, for Jesus' sake. 

"19. To-day the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was dis- 
pensed in our church. I am not able yet to attend church. 
« 28 



326 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

Lord, it is tlay will. May I endeavour to improve my time. O 
Lord, may this affliction be blessed to me ! Do thou give me a 
meek and humble disposition. Assist me by thy Holy Spirit. 
I can do nothing of myself. Lord, direct what I shall do or 
say this week ! Let me not go astray. May thy blessing rest 
npon me. Give me a grateful heart. 

" May 10. I have this day been permitted to worship in the 
courts of the Lord. I heard a sermon preached this afternoon 
from the text, ' Be ye also ready.' Lord, give me an under- 
standing heart — direct me in the path of duty ! Lord, I would 
desire to commit my way unto thee, and to trust in thee ! What 
am I, that thou rememberest me at all — that thou hast favoured 
me so highly ? Oh, give me a grateful heart ! 

"June 7. Sometimes my heart is so taken up with the things 
of this world, that I seem to forget Grod. Oh, that I could saj'', 
Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon the 
earth that I desire besides thee ! I have had much to wean my 
affections from the world, j^et it occupies a large share of this 
heart. Oh, my Father, in trouble or prosperity may I be en- 
abled to look to thee, and see thy hand in every thing ! It seems 
to me that I have been spared for some useful purpose. Then 
why so worldly and grovelling ? Since thou hast been pleased 
to spare me yet a little longer, let the remainder of my days be 
devoted to thy service. Oh, let me not be a cumberer of the 
ground !" 

To the surprise of all, however, toward spring she 
gradually recovered ; and through the summer, by 
change of scene and country air, her health was in a 
great measure restored, though she was still delicate. 

With the summer came the proposal from Mr. Mathe- 
son to share with him the labours and the perils, the 
toils and the triumphs of missionary life. From her 
earliest years she may be said to have breathed a mis- 
sionary atmosphere. When she was nine years of age, 
her uncle had left Nova Scotia as a missionary to the 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 327 

heathen. For a year previous, during which he was 
preparing for his departure, he had resided principally 
in her mother's family. Mary was thus brought into 
free and frequent intercourse with him, and could 
scarcely help imbibing an interest in missions. The 
preparations for his departure must have engaged much 
of her attention, while her affectionate heart was bound 
to him and to his work by her attachment to his family, 
the eldest of whom especially, was, during those months, 
her frequent playmate. After Mr. G.'s departure, his 
work was the constant theme in the household, particu- 
larly with her mother and her grandmother, whose 
hearts followed that son and brother to his distant is- 
land home, and sympathized with him in all the lights 
and shadows of his undertaking. Thus her early inte- 
rest in missionary work grew with her growth ; and when 
she experienced the pardoning grace of God, it became 
an interest in the work from the real love of souls. 
We have seen that she had already shown her mission- 
ary spirit by her efforts to do good to others at home ; 
but the work among the heathen was the object of an 
increasing attachment. It had long been her desire to 
labour for Christ, and when the proposal was made to 
her to go as a missionary to the heathen, nothing could 
be more in accordance with her feelings. 

Still, knowing the place which she had held in the 
family at home, and believing that her first duty was to 
them, she would not go without her mother's free con- 
sent. Circumstances in Providence seemed to both 
clearly to indicate that this was the sphere in which hei 
great Master would have her employed. Her medical 
adviser cautioned her against spending the following 



328 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

winter in Nova Scotia, but at the same time stated that 
her constitution was peculiarly adapted to a tropical cli- 
mate — that she would never have fever and ague — a pre- 
diction Avhich was afterward entirely fulfilled. With such 
an invitation, then, so entirely in accordance with her own 
feelings and the longings of her heart, with God's pro- 
vidence thus seeming clearly to point her way, she 
could not doubt as to the path of duty, Few have had 
stronger affections, and could have felt more keenly the 
pangs of separation from home and kindred. But she 
was able, in the true spirit of Him who left his Father's 
home to bleed and die for us, and from love to him and 
the souls whom he came to redeem, to say that she loved 
the heathen field with all its privations, more than home 
with all its endearments, and cheerfully to part with 
them all, to tell to degraded savages the story of a Sa- 
viour's love. 

From this time till her departure there are few en- 
tries in her diary, and only one or two referring to this 
event. As she destroyed her subsequent diary for some 
time, we give these few nearly entire. 

"June 7. ' Dost thou believe on the Son of Grod?' ' Unto you 
which believe he is precious. ' ' For I know that my Redeemer 
liveth. ' 

' ' My Father, show me the path of duty. I know not in which 
way to walk. Yes, I would willingly give up all for Jesus' sake, 
but who will take my place with regard to mamma ? Oh, I 
must leave her and the dear children, in the hands of Grod ! He 
will take care of them. If that privilege and honour is ever 
conferred on me, oh, may I be fitted and prepared ! I can do 
nothing. Assist me by thy grace. 

Guide me, Oh thou great Jehovah, 
Pilgrim through this barren land, 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 329 

I am weak, but thou art mighty, 
Lead me with thy powerful hand. 

*' 14. Lord, do thou make me to feel my constant need of 
a Saviour ! Oh, do thou guide me, do thou lead me in the path 
of duty ! Every thing seems dark and incomprehensible before 
me. Do thou lift upon me the light of thy countenance. Hold 
up my goings, and I shall be safe. Direct us, Lord ! Let thy 
blessing rest upon us as a family. Oh that I could be always cheer- 
ful, without giving way to lightness ! 

"July 12. I was permitted to attend Sabbath-school to-day, 
after an absence of about nine months. Lord, how shall I 
speak of all thy mercies to me ! They are more than can be 
numbered. G-ive me a heart to acknowledge them. . Oh, make 
me to see more of my vileness and inability to do what is right ! 
Oh, my Father, show me the path of duty, and enable me to 
walk therein ! 

"19. I have this day been j^ermitted once more to approach the 
table of the Lord. Oh, my Saviour, how can I thank thee for 
the blessing which thou hast permitted me to enjoy ! How 
sweet it is to commune with Jesus. 

' ' It may be the last time that I shall sit down at the table in 
the same place. Oh that thj^ presence might ever go with me ! 
Dwell with me where I dwell. ' Remember me with that love 
which thou bearest to thy own.' May I go forward in thy 
strength, making mention of thy righteousness, even of thine 
only, and to thee shall be the praise. 

"26. Lord, how unspeakably great are thy mercies to me ? 
As week after week passes over my head, some new comfort or 
blessing is descending upon me. Fit and prepare me for future 
usefulness. Bless us a family. Oh, my Father, guide me through- 
out this week ; let me not once bring dishonour upon thy name, 
let me not be a stumblmg-block or offence to any, but let me 
walk worthy of the vocation wherewith I am called, in all meek- 
ness, holiness and humbleness of mind ! I can do nothing of 
myself. Oh, assist me by thy grace ! 

" Sept. 23. Oh, my heavenly Father, guide me with thy coun- 
sel, assist and direct me ! Let my conduct and conversation 
correspond with my profession. Fit and prepare me for every 
28* 



330 MEMOIR OP MR. ANB MRS. MATHESON. 

duty lying before me. Enable me cbeerfully to give up all for 
tbe cause of Christ, and ob may I be made an instrument in tby 
hand, of turning many from darkness to light, and from the 
power of sin and Satan to serve the living Grod." 

The marriage took place in Pictou, in the month of 
October, and the next few weeks were spent in all the 
bustle of preparation for leaving her native shores. 
Mrs. M.'s departure to mission work among savages ex- 
cited deep interest wherever she was known or had an 
opportunity of visiting. To see one so young, and seem- 
ing younger than she was, with that form so delicate 
and fragile, that wax-like figure, so graceful and neat, and 
that face, beautiful indeed, but more lovely, with an ex- 
pression more of heaven than of earth — an expression 
which no photograph could represent — an expression 
which it is scarcely figure to call angelic — an expression 
of mingled purity, sweetness, and peace, though with a 
few lines, indicating not exactly sadness, but something 
like it, perhaps, marking the traces of past sorrow, or 
of such sadness as blessed spirits might feel when pass- 
ing through the scenes of sorrow of our sin-vexed world 
— in short, something of that expression oftener seen in 
childhood, which marks its possessor as in this world a 
temporary visitor from a fairer sky, — and then to think 
of her going forth to toil and danger, among some of 
the most degraded savages of the earth, awakened sym- 
pathy in the coldest heart. 

The poignancy of her feelings at leaving none may 
know. But she exercised a surprising control over an 
expression of them. On the night of the farewell, meet- 
ing in Pictou, she sat with the choir of which she had 
been a member ; and in the farewell missionary hymn, 



MRS. MATHESON'S EARLY YEARS. 331 

her voice, so melodious and rich, could be recognized 
throughout. And though her own heart was breaking 
at parting from her friends, yet she strove to appear 
cheerful, and to comfort them. " Never," wrote her 
mother, " shall I forget her last night at home — her 
struggle to be cheerful. She said, if God removes me 
to a better work he will raise friends to supply my place 
— that is what no earthly friend can do." 



332 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 



CHAPTER III. 

FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO TSE NEW MEBMIDES, 

On the 22d of November, Mr. and Mrs. M. embarked 
at Halifax, in the steamer Niagara. On the evening 
of that day, a number of Christian friends met with 
them at the house of Mr. C. Robson, Dartmouth. After 
some time had been spent in social intercourse, the 125th 
Psalm was sung, the 91st Psalm was read, after which 
they were commended in prayer to the keeping of the 
great Master, in obedience to whose commission they 
were about to leave their home and friends. About 11 
o'clock they went on board, being accompanied to the 
steamer by kind Christian friends, who there bade them 
an affectionate farewell. 

They had a pleasant voyage across the Atlantic, Mr. 
M.'s health being better than it had been for some time 
previous, and arrived at Liverpool on the 9th day after 
their departure. Thence they proceeded to London, 
where they met with every kindness from Dr. Tidman 
and other friends of the mission. At that port they 
took passage in a vessel bound to Sydney, in the hope 
of meeting the John Williams there. They had an ex- 
ceedingly pleasant passage of eighty-six days, and 
reached Sydney on the 3d March. 



FROM NOVA StJOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 383 

As we are now about publishing a portion of Mrs. M.'s 
correspondence, it is necessary to observe that not only 
were none of her letters intended for publication but 
she was very averse to have them appear in print. She 
said she could not write "stiff" letters, that she wished 
to unbosom herself to her friends without restraint, 
which she could not do, if she had the prospect of see- 
ing what she wrote appearing in the publications of the 
church. Still there was no reason to be ashamed of 
them, either as to their style or contents. We have 
been surprised at the accuracy of her composition. We 
have scarcely met with a sentence in which there is even 
a slip to be corrected — this although they were often 
written hastily and under the most unfavourable cir- 
cumstances. Of course much of their contents is pri- 
vate, and unsuitable for publication, but we have not 
seen one expression which would wound the feelings of 
a single human being. 

One line whicli, dying, she would wisli to blot. 

. And we doubt not that what she has written will ap- 
pear all the more interesting as the unstudied effusions 
of her heart. 

Of her voyage she thus writes on board the vessel : 



TO MRS. R- 



**Jan. 29, 1858. Time is wearing on, and need I say that I 
long to hear from you, but much more to see you. Yes, I may 

long for C 's face. I may not see it save in imagination, 

and I assure you it is often there, especially when gazing at the 
moon, or watching the stars as we used to. There is no time I 
enjoy like a still moonlight night. I generally fall into a reverie, 
and find myself at home, when a touch on the shoulder, and ' do 
you know how late it is ?' tell me that I was only in dream- 



334 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

land. This voyage is very pleasant. I am never lonely, always 
finding something to admire. 

" Our doctor died a few days ago. He came on board in bad 
bealtb, but in hopes that this voyage would restore it, and he 
seemed to get better every day, while we were within the tropics. 
He was only confined to bed for a week. I had some pleasant 
conversations with him. It was sad to see him wasting away 
among strangers, and heart-rending to hear him speak of 
his mother, of whom he seemed passionately fond. On Tues- 
day, I read to him the 17th chapter of John, and the last para- 
phrase. On Wednesday morning about five o'clock, he asked 
for me. The steward, thinking it was too early, did not call me. 
I regret this so much, for when I saw him again, he was not able 
to speak. On Thursday morning he breathed his last, very 
gently — without a struggle. Oh, it was sad to see him die 
among strangers ! At 12 o'clock, Mr. M. read the service, and 
bis body was committed to the deep, there to remain until the 
sea shaU give up its dead. He was only twenty- three, and such 
excellent company. 

"The weather is not so pleasant since we left the Cape. Still 
I am on deck the greater part of the day. I employ my time 
chiefly in*reading, sewing a little, and for variation, sometimes 
take the sun, make lunar observations, and indulge in other lit- 
tle improprieties I would not be guilty of, were there any 
ladies on board. I have been reading Dr. Livingstone's travels^ 
and find them exceedingly interesting. 

" I find it so hard to write, as the vessel keeps up a continual 
rocking from side to side, and I have to hold on with one hand. 
She is a large vessel, with excellent accommodations, and we are 
blessed with an exceedingly kind steward, which is no small 
boon, as you will discover, if you are ever three months on the 
water. 

"We have had some splendid sunsets, more beautiful than 
you could imagine, with all your powers of imagination ; and it 
would take me too long to tell you of the whales, sharks, and 
innumerable other ' monsters of the deep. ' So forgive me if I 
assume the egotist, and tell you only about myself. 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 335 
TO HER MOTHER. 

"Feb. 3j 1858. How the sound of your voice this raorning, or 
one peep at j^our gentle face would cheer me, but I find that I 
must content myself with thinking of you, and writing to you, 
not that I am dull ; oh no, I have everything I could wish to 
make me happy, and every comfort is to be obtained on board 
this ship, so far as that is concerned. It is the thought that 
every breeze is wafting me farther from you, and that I may see 
you no more, at least for a time. I feel that we have been too 
much bound up in each other, and I often think of you as griev- 
ing for me, but I hope you are not. 

"My health is excellent; indeed, I never was better; and this 
voyage has been verj^ pleasant to me, perhaps more so, because 
we have few passengers, and I being the only English female, 
feel perfectly at ease, and do just as I like. Oui' passengers are 
from France, four priests and three sisters of charity, bound for 
the Fiji Islands,' with three others, who say they are ' Cate- 
chists, ' if you know what that means. We get along very well. 
They are very polite and civil to me, which I am very sure I do 
not deserve, as I have many a laugh at their expense. They 
are very devout, and are generally studying ; if not, they are 
crossing themselves, or counting strings of beads. 

" You will wonder how I employ my time. Well, I do very 
little of anything. You cannot imagine how quickly the time 
passes at sea. We breakfast at nine, then I arrange my room, 
and generallj'^ ' make for the deck, ' where I sew and read until 
one. Then we*liave a luncheon. The afternoon passes much in 
the same way, until 4 o'clock ; when we have dinner. From 
that time I feel privileged to be idle, for some of our evenings 
are delightful. We are now far South, and the weather is cold. 
I have not realized that Christmas and New Year's day are 
past. We were then in warm weather, and crossed the equator 
on New Year's day. We have not had what they call storms, 
but we have had some pretty rough weather. Day before yes- 
terday, our topsail-yard was carried away, and one of the sails 
torn to pieces. I stood watching it, and the sea rolling almost 
mountains high. I have not had the slightest fear. 



336 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

' "The captain is exceedingly kind to me. He is from Aber- 
deen, and quite a gentlemanly person ; indeed, I shall never 
forget him. 

"There is nothing I enjoy more than a few minutes writing, 
and by way of diversion^ I have commenced writing little scraps 
of poetry ; but that I shall never excel in, and only do it to 
amuse myself. ' ' 

Of the approach to land and her arrival in Sydney, 
she thus writes : 

"23. Imagine if you can, dear C , my delight, when I 

heard myself called at half-past five this morning to see land. I 
was not long in making for the deck, and sure enough, away in 
the distance were the blue mountains of Van Dieman's Land. 
How lovely they looked, and I stood watching them until I heard 
the cry of about ship, as it was owing to head winds that we 
were there. The weather is again delightful, the air so soft and 
balmy, but to-day I realize more fully than ever that I have left 
home, and do you know that seeing land to-day, brought tears 
of sadness rather than joy. 

' ' March 2. We have a fair wind to-day, after four days of 
head winds, and are sailing beautifully along in sight of land. 
Opposite us just now is Mount Dromedary, a very high double 
mountain, and so called by Capt. Cook, on account of its ap- 
pearance. We may be in Sydney to-morrow. Won't it seem 
strange to be on land again, after being three months on the 
water, and how these three months have flown? 

" Safe in Sydney, dear ma, and I prefer staying in the vessel 
to write to going on shore. This is a magnificent harbour. It 
is allowed, you know, to be the second best in the world, Rio 
Janeiro being the best. The scenery is grand and picturesque, 
but oh, the heat is terrible ! 

" I felt very sad all the morning, feeling that I was about to 
part again from friends, and again meet strangers ; and as I was 
sorrowfully packing up in my room, what should I hear but 
voices inquiring for us, and who do you suppose it was, but the 
captain of the 'John Williams' and a Rev. Mr. Lockhead, a 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 337 

minister belonging to Sydney. He and I sat down together and 
spent the most delightful half hour I have enjoyed since I left 
home. Word had been sent by mail from London that we were 
coming, and it was to this we owed our friendly welcome. Just 
as we anchored they came in a boat rowed by three natives of 
the South Sea Islands. They are of a lighter complexion than 
we imagined, but if I may say it, their features are decidedly 
ugly. We were informed by our visitors that the John Wil- 
liams sails in about three weeks. We are to have for company 
the Rev. Mr. Creagh and lady, (for he married a few days ago 
in Sydney, a daughter of Mr. Buzacotts,) Mrs. Grill and family, 
Mr. and Mrs. Murray, and others whose names I forget. Oh, 
have we not indeed been signally blessed, to find that vessel 
here, and that we are to remain here such a short time on our 
way ! We shall visit a number of the islands, and probably will 
not reach Aneiteum for five months. I am almost eaten up with 
flies, and must stop for a little while. The captain of the 
' J. W. ' tells me that Mr. Gordon has gone to Erromanga, and 
that Tanna is not now open for missionaries as it was a year 
ago. I was sent for to spend the first day. with one of the first 
families here. Mrs. Grill called to see me. She is a lively little 
body, not any taller than myself. I was introduced to Mr. and 
Mrs. Creagh last night. (The people here pronounce it Cray. ) 
Yesterday Mr. Mills, who was formerly missionary on Upolu, 
but had to abandon the work on account of his health, and now 
resides a little out of Sydney, called upon us, and engaged us 
for to-morrow. I have had a number of visitors. The people 
here are exceedingly kind and wealthy. Some of the ' convicts' 
have splendid mansions, and do not know what to do with their 
money. 

"I fully expected to have had letters awaiting me here, and 
you can imagine my disappointment on finding there were none. 
And if none come by next mail, it may be a year before I shall 
hear a word from home. 

"Persons here think I look very young to engage in the ardu- 
ous duties incumbent upon the wife of a missionary, and a 
clergyman said to me to-day, that my mamma should have kept 
me at home a little longer. However, the missionaries with 
2P 



838 MEMOIR OE MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

whom we have met think differently, as the languages are much 
more readily acquired by young persons. 

"You have no idea what a lovely place Sydney is. I cannot 
describe its appearance, as I have not yet been on shore. The 
arrival of our vessel seems to have occasioned a general rejoicing. 
A number have been on board. This is a magnificent harbour, 
in some places sloping down in green banks, and in others bound 
by bold rocky cliffs, against which the spray foams and dashes ; 
and as we sailed up we saw a number of splendid-looking houses. 

" 8. We met with a very warm reception from friends here. 
I was sent for on board the vessel to spend the day at a Mr. 
Foss's. Mr. M. had promised I should go, so there was nothing 
to be done but march off. I was shown every attention, and 
Mrs. F. said they were to have a Dorcas meeting in the after- 
noon. I was a little surprised, when I discovered that the Go- 
vernor's lady, Lady Dennison, was the first to make her appear- 
ance. I thought how different this was from home. 

"I went yesterday (Sabbath) to hear the venerable Dr. 
McKay preach, and heard good old Scotch music, in which I 
could join for the first time since I left. I went in the evening 
to hear Mr. Cuthbertson (Independent) the great lion of the 
day here, almost a second Spurgeon. They have enlarged his 
church. Still I believe that not more than half of the people 
attempt to get in. It was through the exertions of a friend, 
that we obtained a seat. The congregation is wealthy. You 
can imagine so, when I tell you that they took fifteen hundred 
pounds ($7,500) at a Sabbath collection to assist in enlarging the 
building. ' ' 

When Mrs. Matheson entered upon her missionary 
career, it was with the brightest prospects. Not that 
she was at all carried away by any romantic idea re- 
garding her work. She had as just an idea of the 
realities of missions to the heathen, as a person who has 
not actually seen them can be expected to have. She 
had fully counted on toils and privations, and even dan- 
gers, and was able not only to say, "None of these 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 339 

things move me," but even to rejoice in being counted 
worthy to suffer such things for Christ's sake. But the 
history of the New Hebrides' mission for some time had 
been such as to encourage the highest hopes regarding 
its future progress. Mail after mail had brought tidings 
only of the work of the Lord advancing, until scarcely 
a vestige of heathenism remained on Aneiteum, while 
other islands were calling for missionaries and teachers, 
partly induced to this by hearing of the great change 
that had taken place on that island. The general ex- 
pectation was that the breach being thus made upon 
heathenism in the group, the progress of the gospel 
would be still more rapid upon the remaining islands of 
it. It was naturally supposed that the effects of Chris- 
tianity on Aneiteum would produce such an impression 
on the inhabitants of these that they would almost at 
once cast away their idols. This would only have been 
in accordance with what had taken place in other parts 
of the South Seas. We had learned too to estimate 
lightly the dangers to which missionaries are exposed 
among so savage a people. Mr. Geddie had for years 
been preserved safely in circumstances more unfavour- 
able, when he was the only missionary on the group, 
and entirely isolated from the Christian world, though, 
from a desire not to distress or alarm the Church, we 
believe he never fully informed his friends of all the 
perils through which he had passed. It is not wonder- 
ful then that we looked forward to Mr. and Mrs. Ma- 
theson's missionary career with the brightest anticipa- 
tions. 

None could have foreseen the painful events by which 
it should please God to try the faith and obedience of 



340 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

the supporters of the New Hebrides' Mission. Little 
idea could Mrs. M. or any of her friends have of the 
almost uninterrupted trials through which she was to 
pass. Her voyage was not past till they commenced in 
a way that must have given her some sad forebodings 
for the future. When she had agreed to unite her fate 
with Mr. M. she never supposed anything else but that 
he was a healthy man. During the summer previous 
to their departure, she had observed his cough, but sup- 
posed it to be only a temporary cold, brought on by 
travelling, which might be expected to be removed by 
rest and sea air. Instead of this he was so unwell 
during the whole voyage to Sydney, that she never 
during that time slept in her berth, but lay down on a 
couch in front of his, that she might be ready to minister 
to his wants. She did not inform her friends of this at 
the time, but it must have occasioned her some painful 
forebodings. 

On their arrival in Sydney he was suffering from se- 
vere pain in his chest and side, accompanied with 
cough. He was examined by a medical man, who pro- 
nounced one of his lungs to be seriously affected, and 
forbade him to preach at all for some time. Yet Mr. 
M. could not see his danger, and even undertook to 
supply Dr. McKay's pulpit, who was about to visit 
Scotland. 

Mrs. M's. diary during this period of her life was de 
stroyed by herself, with the exception of a few scraps, 
principally of her Sabbath meditations. These we here 
insert. 

"Dec. 25, 1857. My first Christmas from home, and I am on the 
water. Oh, how my heart dings to home and loved ones, espe- 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 341 

cially on a day like this, when we were wont to give and receive 
our little presents. Yes, I know tlieir thoughts will be of the 
absent one. We have enjoyed a pleasant passage so far, yet 
how vile and undeserving am I of all thy mercies. How light 
and trifling is my conduct. I have reason to mourn over my 
sins. This time last year I was very ill. Why was I spared, 
surely not to be a cumberer of the ground ? Oh, my heavenly 
Father, I desire to live to thy glory ! I desire to spend my life 
in thy service ; fit me for a life of usefulness. 

"27. How still and peaceful Sabbath is at sea, yet it does not 
in a manner feel to me like Sabbath. What would I not give 
to spend a Sabbath at home? Yet it may not be. But God is 
here as well as at home, and 

'* Where'er we seek him, he is found, 
And every place is holy ground." 

I must endeavour to devote more time to reading the Scriptures 
and meditation. Oh, I am a vile backslider ! My heart is apt 
to be engrossed with the things of time. Lord! hold thou 
me up and I shall be safe. I resolve to read a chapter in the 
New Testament in the morning, and one in the Old in the even- 
ing, with Jay's Exercises. Let thy blessing rest on me, Lord ! 
Though I have always read morning and evening, I have, since 
I left home, got out of my usual way of reading ; but have com- 
menced again, and feel much more pleasure in reading now. Oh, 
for sweet communion with Jesus ! for a heart filled with love 
to him ! 

' ' Feb, 7. Sabbath. I know from sad experience that there is 
no happiness out of Christ ! How can there be if our minds are 
not at peace with him ? And can we be at peace with him if 
our hearts are wholly engrossed with the things of this world ? 
Oh, no, we cannot serve two masters ! We cannot love Christ 
and the world. I do not understand how my mind can be con- 
tent to grovel here, when it might be soaring to somethinf, no- 
bler, something purer, and something that can give real satis- 
faction. 

"14. Sabbath. Let me for one moment contemplate that 
love which passeth knowledge 1 Was there anything desirable 
29 * 



342 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

in us or about us that could induce the Lord of glory, the mighty 
maker of heaven and earth, to leave his blessed abode, come 
down to this vile earth, endure sufferings which humanity would 
sink under, bleed and die on the accursed tree, and all for us — 
for us — who spurn his offered mercy, and daily, with our hearts, 
if not with our lips, say, ' We will not have this man to reign 
over us?' Think too of his loving words : ' Come unto me all ye 
that labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ' "V^hat 
a rest for the weary soul. What a loving bosom upon which to 
lean the aching head! What a balm for the wounded con- 
science ! Oh, if Jesus is precious to us in prosperity, is he not 
surely ten times more so in adversity ? Is it not sweet to feel 
that we have a friend that sticketh closer than a brother ? One 
to whom we can repair at all times. Oh, for a heart to seek 
him ! for lips to praise him ! 

"21. Sabbath. Another pleasant day. Lead me in a plain 
path, O Grod ! and teach me. I am too prone to enjoy thy gifts 
and forget the Griver. Oh, that I could continually bear in mind 
that this is not my rest — that here I have no continuing city ; fit 
me, for the duties of life before me ; prepare me for trials and 
difficulties! 

Let the sweet hope that thou art mine, 

My life and death attend, 
Thy presence through my journey shine. 

And crown my journey's end. 

"28. Sabbath. Is my religion all a form? Is it a dream? 
Indeed, I oftentimes wonder if in reality I am a Christian. I 
feel that I do love Jesus ! that he is precious to my soul. I feel 
too, my utter inability to do what is right, and my entire de- 
pendence upon him. But oh, the flesh is weak, and I am ever 
yielding to temptation ! Why do I not pray without ceasing ? 
Will not Jesus lend an attentive ear to the breathings of my 
soul at all times, as at stated seasons ? blessed Jesus ! thou 
that by a word formed this mighty universe — that painted tho 
flowers of the field with their brilliant hues — that spangled the 
blue expanse with radiant orbs — thou Almighty Saviour ! that 
art the Creator and preserver of all things ; wilt thou not, for. 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 343 

thou canst, purge away my dross, and make me clean aij4 pnre ? 
I often look forward with joy to that ' rest which remaineth for 
the people of Grod ! ' but shall I ever partake of it ? Shall I 
cast my crown at the feet of my Redeemer ! and be permitted to 
join with an innumerable company of angels and redeemed spi- 
rits, in singing the song of Moses and the Lamb ? And shall I 
be permitted to see Jesus ? to bask in the rays of his love ? 
With rapture should I shout, ' Thou hast redeemed me with thy 
blood. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, 
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, 
and blessing. ' 

"Wednesday, March 3. We have been singularly blessed. 
The way has been made perfectly smooth. Lord, our ways 
are not as .thine ! Thou knowest what is best for us. And have 
I indeed left the dear ' Omar Pasha ?' Oh, how many happy 
hours have I spent in her — my home for three months ! Friends 
were kind, and we perhaps may not meet again. My earnest 
desire is that they may ever be wafted in safety across the 
mighty deep, and may God prosper them in all their ways. If 
we meet not here, may we meet in heaven, where parting is un- 
known. 

" Sabbath, March 21. This morning heard Mr. Murray preach 
from Heb. iv. 16. He is certainly a very pious man. Read 
' Victory won. ' In the evening heard Mr. Smith of the church 
of England ; a solemn and impressive sermon from Amos iv. 17. 
Lord ! am I prepared to meet thee ? Am I living as I would 
wish to die ? Show me this heart, let me not deceive myself. 

'* Oft has the well accustomed bell 

Noted the sacred hour of prayer, 
A sound, an hour, I loved full well, 

And cheerful steps oft led me there. 
Yet still that sacred bell may chime. 

Its sounds meet not my longing ear, 
I'm hastening to a heathen clime, 

Farewell ! sweet tones, to memory dear."* 

* These lines seem to be original. 



344 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON.. 

From Sydney Mr. Matheson thus wrote under date 
22d March. 

" Sydney, March 22, 1858. 
"After a very pleasant passage of eighty-six days from Lon- 
don, we arrived safely in Sydney on the third of March. Scarcely 
had we anchored in the harbour, when to our great delight who 
should come on board inquiring for us but Captain Williams, 
who has been here since the middle of January, and was nearly 
ready to sail on the first of March, when he received a letter from 
Dr. Tidman, instructing him to remain until after the arrival of 
the Omar Pasha. Fortunately the missionary boxes were among 
the last articles of freight put on board the ' Omar Pasha, ' and, 
as they are now busily engaged discharging her cargo, they will 
doubtless have the mission goods transhipped to-morrow or next 
day, immediately after which we shall get under way. There 
are a number of passengers going down to the islands in the 
'John Williams,' among .them a young gentleman from Mel- 
bourne, who intends visiting the different islands with a view of 
ascertaining the one upon which he could, with the greatest 
prospect of success, enter into mercantile business. Among the 
crew are three Raratongans, and seven from the island of Maneki, 
all of whom can speak English tolerably well. In personal ap- 
pearance and amiableness of disposition the latter are much su- 
perior to the former, though in stature they are much below 
the usual standard, being in height from four feet nine inches to 
five feet — heads much larger than that of the European — hair 
jet black, straight and glossy — faces round and plump — skin not 
so black as that of the negro — hands and feet very small and 
long — teeth small, long and white — eyes gray — nose very broad 
and flat, and when rowing they extend their nostrils some three 
or four inches and snuff up the air similar to a horse snorting 
when suddenly affrighted. Their eyes also glare like balls of 
fire, which causes them to look extremely fierce when busily en- 
gaged in any work requiring great exertion ; but the moment 
that duty is performed they again assume their former pleasant 
appearance. On Monday evening there was a very interesting 
missionary meeting held in Pitt Street Chapel, which, though 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 845 

the largest in the colony, was so crowded that many were obliged 
to stand during the proceedings. There is to be a valedictory 
missionary meeting to-morrow evening, after which we all go on 
board the 'John Williams,' to sail next morning, wind permit- 
ting." 

Thej left Sydney on the 29th of March, and after a 
pleasant voyage of thirty-two days arrived at Tahiti on 
the third of May, the only drawback to their pleasure 
being the state of Mr. Matheson's health. He was so 
delicate during the passage that the missionaries did 
not once ask him to conduct morning or evening wor- 
ship. From this place he thus wrote under date 4th 
May. 

"The mariners often encounter tremendous storms in those 
seas. Our voyage has hitherto been very favourable, having 
experienced no rough weather, and had we not been detained 
two or three days by variable winds and calms off New Zealand, 
nothing seemed wanting to render our whole voyage a splendid 
pleasure excursion. We generally remained on deck the greater 
part of the day, enjoying the warm sunshine and the fresh balmy 
breeze, associated with companions the most agreeable. On 
Sabbaths we had service morning and evening — prayer meet- 
ings every Saturday evening, and a missionary prayer-meeting 
the first Monday night of every month. There are also several 
natives on board, to whom Mr. Creagh read occasional^, being 
the only passenger sufficiently acquainted with their language to 
be by them perfectly understood. Shortly after leaving Sydney, 
the . Rev. Mr. Murray kindly presented me a Samoan Testament, 
in the perusal of which I have spent as much time as possible, 
and have made considerable proficiency (all things considered.) 
We spent yesterday on shore, enjoying the hospitality of the 
Rev. Mr. Howe, who has been here about twenty-two years. 
Tahiti appears to be a lovely island, about thirty-two miles in 
circumference and situated in lat. 17°, 29^, 15^^ 149°, 28^ 45^^. 
It presents the appearance of an elongated range of high land^ 



346 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

wLicli, being interrupted in one part, forms an isthmus about 
three miles in breadth, which connects the two peninsulas. From 
a low margin of sea coast the land rises to a very considerable 
height on both extremities of the island, while some highly 
fertile plains or valleys intersect the range in different parts. 
The loftiest mountain in the northern peninsula (called Moimt 
Anai) is said to be about 7000 feet. In the southern peninsula 
there is also a very lofty mountain, said to be 8,500 feet above 
the level of the sea. This latter is the highest in the island. 
From these two peaks diverge ridges to all parts of the coast, 
all of which are very precipitous and generally narrow. Of late 
years the low lands of Tahiti have undergone considerable change 
by the introduction of a shrub from Norfolk Island, called by 
the natives Gruano, which grows to a large tree, and has now 
usurped the soil to a great extent for miles. The woodlands 
and bush are composed almost entirely of this shrub, which 
bears a profusion of large and delicious food. There is a pretty 
good road round the greater part of the island, all of which is 
overshadowed with trees, thus affording a delightful means of 
visiting the different surrounding settlements. In the code of 
laws adopted by Queen Pomare the punishment inflicted upon 
all persons found intoxicated consisted of making one or more 
feet of this road. 

" Outside the low belt of land at the foot of the mountains, a 
coral reef encircles the island at the distance of two or three 
miles, and within this rocky bank are several excellent harbours 
where the sea is constantly tranquil, not a ripple to be seen upon 
its surface. The appearance of the mountains when seen loom- 
ing far in the distance is magnificently grand, some of which are 
sufficiently high to be seen from the ship's deck fifteen or six- 
.teen leagues distant. 

"We sighted the land on Friday evening, but as we were 
nearly becalmed till Sabbath morning we made but little pro- 
gress towards the island. Early on Sabbath morning we were 
favoured with a fair wind, but the immense number of clouds 
hanging over the high land and a haziness about the horizon, 
partially obscured our view for some two or three hours. At 
length, however, about 9 a. m., as the sun rose higher, the 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 347 

clouds gradually vanislied away, and as they rolled along the 
grandly formed mountains, high, sharp, irregular peaks and 
huge masses of rocks appeared between the mists and were again 
hidden in deep valleys or glens, as if almost denied the light of 
day. Strikingly di£ferent in appearance were the lower hills, 
dales and richly wooded land at the sea-side. There the bright 
sunshine heightened the vivid and ever varying tints of a rich 
verdure ; the beautiful alternation of light and shade, each mo- 
ment changing as the flitting shadows passed over every kind 
of green — the groves of graceful palm trees and the dazzling 
white foam of the breakers on the coral reefs contrasted with 
the deep blue of the sea, combined to form a most magnificent 
view. 

" At a distance of three or four miles to the West showed the 
island of Eimeo, which presented a very picturesque outline and 
added much to the beauty of a scene far surpassing that of which 
I had any conception. We purpose leaving for Huahine to- 
morrow, thence to Raiatea, Mangaia, Karatonga. and Samoa, 
from whence we proceed to the Western Islands, which we hope 
to reach in JuJy. ' ' 

Their farther progress is thus described by Mrs. 
Matheson : 

'"'' Malua^ Samoa J June 9, 1858. 

' ' My last letter was written from Tahiti, and you will see by 
this that I am not jet at home. Our visit to the diiFerent islands 
was very pleasant, as it gave us a little insight into missionary 
labour ; and we have met with much kindness from the mission- 
aries. Our next resting-place is Aneiteum. I can scarcely re- 
alize it. » 

" The weather here is intensely hot. Sometimes a feeling of 
languor steals over me, but I try to overcome it. It agrees very 
well with Mr. M. He has not been so well since we left home 
as at present. 

"This (Upolu) is a lovely island. Every tree, shrub, and 
plant seems to arrive at perfection. There are a number of 
shrubs that bear bright red flowers, forming a striking contrast 



348 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

with the brilliant green of the leaves. The young cocoanut is a 
most graceful tree. It grows to an immense height here. But 
I must tell you something of our voyage. 

"We spent a few days at Raiatea, and called upon Queen Po- 
mare, who is there at present at the marriage of her son, who is 
king of that island. Mr. Chisholm invited her to dinner, as all 
were anxious to see her. She has rather a pleasant countenance, 
but is an immensely large woman. She conducted herself very 
nicel}^ in company, and is very intelligent. She came dressed in 
a very handsome loose gown of pink silk, trimmed with a profu- 
sion of blond lace. 

' ' This being the time of their ' May Meetings, ' we went to 
chapel and heard a number of addresses from the natives, the 
king being chairman. Unfortunately for me, I could not under- 
stand what they said. They then gave in their donations. The 
sum amounted to £52 ($260). This they send home to the L. 
M. Society. 

' ' We were much pleased with our stay at Raratonga. The 
situation of Mr. Buzacott's house and the scenery around, is, I 
think, unrivalled. It stands quite at the foot of a mountain ; 
and the tall cocoanuts, waving their tops over it, together with 
orange trees, and a hedge of trees in front, make it quite pic- 
turesque. 

' ' The first of the Samoan group we touched at was Manua. 
There was no missionary there — only a native teacher. There 
being a very heavy sea, we could not land near the teacher's 
station, but went some miles farther down. Mrs. Creagh and 
I thought we should , like to go on shore, notwithstanding the 
walk over the mountain under a broiling sun. We arrived at 
the teacher's house after a succession of climbing and leaping, 
and after having dined on taro, fish and other native ijrepara- 
tions, which we partook of in rather a^ primitive style ^ there being 
no knives and forks, started for the vessel, and left the island in 
the evening. Having rough weather, we did not land again 
until we arrived at this island. We anchored at Apia, and spent 
the first two days at Mr. Murray's ; then left for this station in 
a boat. It was a very pleasant sail inside the reef. The mis- 
sionaries are all to meet at Savaii next week. Thev hold a con- 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 349 

ference meeting every six monthsj and the vessel remains until 
the meeting is over. 

"I hope, dear mamma, that joi\ have received some of my 
letters. It seems a very long time since I heard from you. I 
do not know how you all are, and can only think of you as I left 
you. 

"Remember me to Mr. and Mrs. B., Miss M., my Sabbath 
scholars, and to all inquiring friends. Tell them I am very well, 
and long to be at work. ' ' 

On the 8th July, after a pleasant voyage of nine 
days from Samoa, the John Williams cast anchor in the 
harbour of Anelicauhat, on the south side of the island 
of Aneiteum. "You can easily imagine," says Mrs. 
M. " with what joy we sighted Aneiteum, and how 
tantalizing it was to be becalmed within a few hours' 
sail of it. Some canoes coming off to us, we sent a 
note on shore. Uncle and all the family had gone round 
to Mr. Inglis' side of the island the day before. The 
note went round there with all speed, and they arrived 
a short time after we had anchored in the harbour. Mr. 
and Mrs. Inglis came also. I like them very much, 
they are thoroughly Scotch." 

The young missionaries were received with a hearty 
welcome from those already on the field. Mr. Geddie 
thus writes : " 1 need not say how much pleasure it 
gave us to see Mr. and Mrs. Matheson in here. The 
only alloy to this satisfaction was the delicate state of 
Mr. Matheson' s health, but I trust that he will soon feel 
the benefits of a short residence in this mild climate. 
His case has been minutely studied by Dr. Lawrence, 
of H. M. S. Iris." 

From Aneiteum Mrs. M. thus wrote : 



30 



350 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

' ' I like Aneiteum very much. It is a pretty island. The 
mountains are high and varied. It has a fine harbour, and there 
are always vessels here. At present there are five. 

' ' The natives are not such a fine race as on some of the other 
islands, but they seem manageable and afiectionate. I admire 
the women's dress very much. They wear their native enlepes* 
and many of them a calico skirt above, with a loose jacket or 
roundabout. Their dresses stand out nicely, the enlepes quite 
serving the purpose of crinoline. They also wear bonnets, and their 
taste is not so gaudy as on some of the other islands. I think 
the language odd but pretty. 

"I am very well indeed. At Samoa I had a little cough, but 
there the weather is so hot, it is almost impossible to avoid 
taking cold. Here it is very pleasant in the cool season. Now 
we require fire night and morning. We are all to go round next 
week, to Mr. Inglis' station, to be present at the sacrament of 
the Lord's Supper. The little John Knox leaves for there. She 
is a nice little vessel, and a very good sailer, but such a tiny thing. 
She looks like a duck on the water. ' ' 

Mr. M. thus described in a letter to the secretary of 
the Board what followed his arrival : 

''''Aneiteum^ Aug. 21, 1858. 

" On the following morning the brethren of the New Hebri- 
des' mission met for consultation, respecting our location, in 
which the deputation of the L. M. S. there present, were in- 
vited to correspond. After mature deliberation, it was unani- 
mously agreed that we should remain at Aneiteum, until the ar- 
rival of the Rev. Messrs. Copeland and Paton, of the Reformed 
Presbyterian Church of Scotland, who are expected about the 
latter end of this month. 

"We spent the Sabbath at Aneiteum. In the morning Mr. 
Gr. preached to some four or five hundred persons in the native 
language. After that there was an English service, which was 
attended by the foreign residents. And in the evening Mr. 
Inglis preached on board the 'John Williams.' On Monday 

* A sort of shirt. 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 351 

afternoon there was a missionary meeting held in the church, at 
which the Rev. Geo. Gill of Raratonga, and the Rev. Geo. 
Stallworthy of Samoa, gave a short account of the state of the 
mission in their respective islands. In the centre of the church 
stood an immensely large heap of mats, native dresses, and 
cloth, &c., for the native teachers who had previously been 
placed upon the islands of Tanna and Fotuna : and al.-so for 
those about to be located upon the island of Niua, where teachers 
have never before been stationed. 

"On Wednesday the wind being favourable, we left for Fo- 
tuna, which we sighted during the night, after which we were 
obliged to shorten sail, to prevent our approaching the shores 
before the break of day. As there is no good anchorage at this 
island, immediately upon our nearing the coast, Capt. Williams 
lowered his boat in which we proceeded to the shore. On land- 
ing we were instantly surrounded by some 150 or 200 natives, 
many of whom were armed with clubs, spears, bows and arrows, 
hatchets, and muskets. After spending a few minutes upon the 
beach, we ascended a rugged mountain and walked a consider- 
able distance inland, to a house occupied by one of the Anei- 
teum teachers. There are at present four teachers on the island, 
with three of whom we met, and received from them a very 
satisfactory and interesting report of their trials and success, 
since last visited. They also reported very favourably, respect- 
ing the station at which the other teacher resides, and the na- 
tives appeared very anxious, that a missionary should come and 
remain with them. Upon this request being made, Mr. G. in- 
quired of them if they would be good to a missionary, if they 
would protect him, if they would prevent the natives from kill- 
ing him ? To the former questions they replied in the affirma- 
tive, but appeared rather indignant at the latter, and said. No, 
no, no kill him missionary. You know your teachers are here 
and we no kill them ; you know too that you come here, and if 
we want kill him missionary, we could have killed 5''0u plenty 
time long ago. While on the island, Mr. G. delivered a short 
address in the Aneiteum language, to which several of the na- 
tives paid particular attention, at the close of which we re- 
turned to the boat, went off to the ship, and set sail for Tanna. 



352 MEiMoirv or mi^, and mrs. matheson. 

" On tlie following morning we arrived safely at Port Resolu- 
tion Bay, where we found lying at anchor the missionary vessel, 
' John Knox, ' which, has since her arrival here last year, proved 
of invaluable benefit to the mission. We went on shore to se- 
lect a site for the erection of the building, and succeeded in ob- 
taining and purchasing from the chief the plot of ground for- 
merly owned by the Rev. Messrs. Turner and Nisbet. 

"The following day Mr. Turpie, the chief officer of the 'John 
Williams,' together with several of the crew, assisted in prepar- 
ing a suitable foundation, upon which they afterwards com- 
menced to erect the house, which Mr. G-eddie intends to have 
completed as soon as possible. The chief Miaki who is said to 
be a very influential young man, seemed delighted with the 
prospect of a missionary going to reside with them, and said to 
me. No fear of missionary here now, if you come and live with 
us I'll protect you, I'll build my house beside yours, and you 
are safe — we all same as Aneiteum people upon my land, and no 
fight as we used to do. On Sabbath Mr. Gr. preached on shore, 
in the morning and evening, (the former discourse was inter- 
preted by Nohoat, the Aneiteum chief. ) There were about 70 
persons present, all of whom listened very attentively to the 
words spoken. The next morning we weighed anchor and set 
sail for Niua, which is a small island, 14? miles from Tanna, 
ajid is supposed to have a population of 400 or 500 persons. 
Here we stationed two teachers from Aneiteum, being the first 
ever located on this island. The natives were very anxious for 
a white teacher, but having none for them, they said Aneiteum 
ones do very good. Having little business to do at this island, 
we left for Erromanga in the evening, and arrived there the fol- 
lowing morning, where we were much pleased to meet brother 
Grordon and his amiable lady, in the enjoyment of health and 
strength. In the forenoon we all went on shore, and our feel- 
ings may be better imagined than expressed, when treading the 
place once trodden by him, who fell a martyr to missionary en- 
terprise on this island. In the afternoon we met on board the 
'John Williams,' to consult with Mr. Geddie respecting the 
state of the mission and also the locating of teachers. 

" On Thursday afternoon we left for Aneiteum, in the ' John 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 353 

Knox. ' During the evening we observed in the distance two of 
those singular phenomena, called waterspouts, which are of fre- 
quent occurrence in these seas, and on the following day, be- 
tween the hours of 1 and 4 P. M. , we observed no less than 
eight, one of which caused us no little alarm, it being so near, 
that to avoid encountering it we were obliged to tack ship and 
sail in a different direction. Though nearly calm when first ob- 
served, during its formation it became quite wet and squally. 
It was followed by heavy rain and strong wind, which set the 
sea in such an awful commotion, that we were obliged to put 
back for Dillon's Bay, Erromanga, where we remained until 
Monday morning. 

" On Sabbath morning Mr. Grordon preached in the native 
language, to about forty of the inhabitants of that still dark 
island, after which Mr. Geddie preached an English sermon to 
the foreigners. In the afternoon Mr. Gordon dispensed the 
ordinance of baptism to a young man whom he called Mana. 
He had been to Samoa some time ago, where he became seri- 
ously impressed, and ever since his return to Erromanga, his con- 
duct has been such as to leave no obstacles in the way of his be- 
ing admitted a church member. To Mr. Grordon he has been 
of invaluable service, as a teacher and interpreter. After the 
baptism of Mana, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was dis- 
pensed for the first time on that island. Around this table 
were assembled with us the natives of Aneiteum, belonging to 
the ' J ohn Knox, ' the native teacher of Erromanga, together 
with Mana, who may be said to be the first convert to Christi- 
anity, on that island. On Monday we left and arrived safely at 
Aneiteum the following Wednesday." 

From the time of the arrival of the John Williams at 
the Samoas, Mr. M.'s health was better, but he was still 
delicate. He however seemed to improve bj residence 
on shore. A medical gentleman on board one of H. M. 
Ships, having carefully examined his case, earnestly 
recommended rest and attention to his health for a time, 
and gave it as his opinion, that in this way he might 
30 * 



354 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

yet become a vigorous man. The missionaries were 
therefore anxious that he should remain for a time on 
Aneiteum, before undertaking the toils of a new mission. 
But Mr. M.'s ardent spirit could scarcely brook any de- 
lay in entering upon his work, while in the general 
spirit of the consumptive, he could not perceive his 
danger, and was unwilling to hear it spoken of, so that 
when Messrs. Paton and Copeland arrived, two or three 
weeks after, arrangements were made for the location 
of Mr. M. with them upon Tanna, though in consequence 
of the state of his health, the other missionaries only 
assented to the step in compliance with his own urgent 
wishes. 

After consultation it was resolved, that the two for- 
mer should be stationed at Port Resolution, that Mr. 
M. should take up a new station on the south side of 
the island, about fourteen miles distant, called Umai- 
rarekar, and that Mr. Copeland should visit his station 
from time to time, to render such aid as occasion 
might require. The frame and materials of a house 
were prepared on Aneiteum, and in October they 
all sailed for their destination accompanied by Mr. 
Geddie. 

When about leaving Aneiteum, Mrs. M. thus wrote : 

^^ Aneiteum, Oct. 26. 
" I should like to have been settled in my own house on Tan- 
na before writing at this time, that I might have been able to 
give you a description of it, and also of our prospects ; but as 
the vessel leaves very shortly, I shall not be able to do so. We 
expect to leave here day after to-morrow for Tanna. We are 
appointed to the south side of the island, and Mr. Paton to the 
harbour, as missionaries from our church occupy two harbours. 



FROM NOVA SCOTIA TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 355 

The only difference is the difficulty of landing anything at the 
south side. In other respects it is preferable. As our house is 
not quite finished, we shall have to live in a grass one for two or 
three weeks. I have a very nice native man and his wife from, 
this island to accompany me. Their names are Matthew and 
Singongo. I have had no intermittent fever as yet, for 
which I feel very thankful. You need never feel uneasy or anx- 
ious about me, dear mamma, for I have many comforts, and 
much to be thankful for. The principal food for missionaries 
on these islands, as you are aware, is pork and fowls. I am 
going to take some salted pork with me from here, also some 
fowls and goats ; and if I prove a good housekeeper I shall get 
along very well. 

"I shall not be able to write during the hurricane. months, 
and perhaps will feel a little lonely, not hearing from you. ' ' 

From the time of their arrival in Sydney, till their 
settlement on Tanna, the only item of Mrs. M's. diary 
preserved is the following : ,.^ 

Aneiteam, Aug. 1st, 1858. ,'- 

"Sabbath. I have very much neglected my diary lately. 
What with sewing, bustle, and excitement, I have scarcely found 
time. Oh, may the world never come between my Saviour and 
me ! I thank thee, Grod, that thou in mercy hast permitted 
me to visit this island, once sunk in heathenism, and to behold 
the wonders thou hast wrought ! Oh, let my life be one of con- 
tinued praise — let me be devoted to thy service, unworthy though 
I be ! Oh, my Saviour, I desire from my heart to be thus en- 
gaged ! Thou hast seen fit to lay thine afflicting hand upon my 
dear husband on our arrival here. God, thou knowest best ! 
We desire to submit to thy will. Father, guide our footsteps. 
Let us not stray from thee at all. Not able to attend native ser- 
vice to-day, as Mr. M. is so poorly. Grod, send down thy 
Spirit upon thy ministers this day ! May they be enabled to 
speak a word in season to many souls. Lord, look in mercy 
upon my native land J Send down times of refreshing from the 
presence of the Lord. Awaken many careless hearts. Stir up 



^"^ 



356 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

lukewarm Christians, and oli, may the peace of Grod rest upon 
them as a people ! Bless me, even me, oh, my Father ! Re- 
member not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. May 
I keep a strict watch over my lips, that they offend not — over 
my thoughts and actions. Keep me from secret faults, and all 
presumptuous sins. ' ' 



THE TANNESE. 35T 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE TJLNNESE. 

In the Memoir of Mr. Johnston we gave an account 
of the island of Tanna, but reserved a fuller notice of 
the inhabitants for this place. The fullest account of* 
them that has yet appeared is by Dr. Turner, which we 
give with some slight abridgement. 

" The population of the island cannot, I think, be 
less than ten or twelve thousand. They are under the 
middle stature. There are some fine exceptions, but 
that is the rule. Their colour is exactly that of an old 
copper-coin. You see some of them as black as the 
New Hollanders, but it is occasioned by dyeing their 
bodies a few shades darker than the natural colour. 
They have less of the negro cast of countenance than 
some of the other Papuan tribes we have met with, and 
if they would only wash the paint off their faces, and 
look like men, you might pick out from among them a 
company of good-looking fellows. We often said to 
each other there is so-and-so, the very image of some 
old friend or fellow-student. 

^'Red is the favourite colour of paint for the face. 
It is a red earth, which they get principally from Anei- 
teum. They first oil the face, and then daub on the dry 



S58 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

powder with the thumb. Some of the chiefs show their 
rank by an extra coat of the pigment, and have it plas- 
tered on as thick as clay. Black is the sign of mourn- 
ing. This they manage with oil and pounded charcoal. 
Some make their faces glisten like the work of a shoe- 
black. Others seem as if they had first oiled their 
faces, and then dipped them into a bag of soot. 

" Their hair is frizzled, and often of a light brown 
colour, rather than black. The women wear it short, 
but have it all laid out in a forest of little erect curls, 
about an inch and a-half long. There is something 
quite unusual in the way in which the men do up their 
hair. They wear it twelve and eighteen inches long, 
and have it divided into some six or seven hundred little 
locks or tresses. Beginning at the roots, every one of these 
is carefully wound round by the thin rind of a creeping 
plant, giving it the appearance of a piece of twine. The 
ends are left exposed for about two inches, and oiled 
and curled. This curious collection of six hundred locks 
of hair is thrown back ofi" the forehead, and hangs 
down behind. The little curled ends are all of equal 
length, and form a semicircle of curls from ear to ear, 
or from shoulder to shoulder. Viewed at a distance, 
you imagine that the man has got some strange wig on, 
made of whip cords, in some instances coloured black, 
and in others red ; but, on closer inspection, you find 
that it is his natural hair done up as I have just de- 
scribed. I had the curiosity, one day to count the 
exact number of these little locks of hair on a young 
man's head, and found that they were close upon seven 
hundred. The labour in keeping all these in order is 
immejise, and the only utility of the thing seems to be, 



THE TANNESE. 



359 



that it forms a good thick pad of cords for protecting 
the head from the rays of the sun. (See cut.) " With 
the exception of the adjacent islands of Aneiteum, 
Niua, and Futuna, I have not seen nor heard of anything 




like this in any other part of the Pacific. It reminds 
one of the Egyptian Gallery in the British Museum, 
and strikingly compares with the illustrations in recent 
works on Nineveh. 

"The Tannese pierce the septum of the nose, and in- 



360 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

sert a small piece of wood or reed horizontally, but not 
so as to project beyond either nostril. 

" They are fond of ear-rings also, but not of the usual 
tiny trinket description. They must have a great tor- 
toise-shell article, half an inch wide, and two, three, or 
four inches in diameter. Nor are they content with 
one of these dangling on each side ; they have half-a- 
dozen of them sometimes, of various sizes, in one ear. 
The weight of such things enlarges the apertures fear- 
fully: a child's hand might pass through some of them. 

" They do not tatoo ; cutting or burning some rude de- 
vice of a leaf or a fish on the breast, or upper part of 
the arm, are other modes of ornament. 

"The women are pretty well covered with their long 
girdles, hanging down below the knee. They wear them 
occasionally also over the shoulders. They are made 
from the rolled and dried fibre of the banana stalk, are 
very soft, and at first sight look like hemp. (See page 
251.) 

"But, alas for the poor sons of Adam, their clothing is 
very scant ! They wear a belt round the waist an inch 
deep. Instead of "an apron" of "fig-leaves," they 
make a little bit of matting, or rag of any kind, suffice. 
With this they form an ugly-looking bundle, the recep- 
tacle as well of anything smnll which happens to come 
in the way — such as beads, fish-hooks, or tobacco. The 
whole is tied tightly together, by several turns of hair- 
cord, and one end pulled up through the belt in front. 
They strut about in this disgusting costume, and criti- 
cize the Erromangans and others, as if they thought 
their own aesthetics of dress were of the highest or- 
der. 



li^§^&M 



H 
< 

O 




THE TANNESE. 



361 



"All wear some ornament round the neck. Beads are 
in repute, and the larger the better. But there is no- 
thing of which a chief is fonder for a necklace than 
three large whale's teeth, on three separate strings, 
and dangling horizontally on his breast. They often 
tack on to the necklace a few locks of the hair of a de- 
ceased relative. 

" Armlets are also common. They are made of the 
cocoa-nut shell, in sections of half an inch wide, and 
rudely carved. They wear one, two, three, and some- 
times half a dozen of these on either arm, close above 
the elbow, and from them they suspend their spear- 
thrower and sling. (See cut.) 




SPEAR THROWER. 



"Their weapons are clubs, bows and arrows, and 
spears. (See cut.) They sling a stone, throw a spear, 




SPEAR AND ARROW HEADS. 



and shoot an arrow with great precision. They are also 
expert at throwing a stone called a kawas, which you 
31 



362 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

often see in their hands. (See cut.) It is about the 



KAWAS. 



length of an ordinary counting-house ruler, only twice 
as thick, and that they throw with deadly precision when 
their victim is within twenty yards of them. All the 
men go about armed. When at^ work in their planta- 
tions their arms are never out of sight, and at night they 
sleep within reach of their club. Even the little boys 
must have their tiny clubs, and spears, and bows and 
arrows, and always go about ready for a quarrel. 

"At the first glance, one concludes that the Tannese 
must live in a state of perpetual war. This is actually 
the case. War is the rule, peace the exception. They 
were fighting during five out of the seven months we 
lived among them, and I should think that is a fair aver- 
age of the way in which they have lived from time im- 
memorial. There is ample proof there that war is the 
enemy of civilization and the element of savage life. 
We were never able to extend our journeys above four 
miles from our dwelling. At such distances you come 
to boundaries which are never passed, and beyond which 
the people speak a different dialect. At one of these 
boundaries actual war will be going on ; at another, kid- 
napping and cooking each other; and at another, all 
may be peace; but, by mutual consent, they have no 
dealings with each other. Their fighting is principally 
bush skirmishing; they rarely come to close hand-to- 
hand club fighting. When visiting the volcano one day, 
the natives told us about a battle in which one party 
which was pursued ran right into the crater, and there 



THE TANNESE. 363 

fought for a while on the downward slope inside the 
cup! But few fall in their daily skirmishes. Many, 
however, are cut oflf after lingering for weeks under fa- 
tal wounds. 

" When the body of an enemy is taken, it is dressed 
for the oven, and served up with yams at the next meal. 
Captain Cook only suspected they were cannibals. 
There is no doubt about the thing now. They delight 
in human flesh, and distribute it in little bits far and 
near among their friends, as a delicious morsel. I 
recollect talking to a native one day about it, and trying 
to fill him with disgust at the custom, but the. attempt 
was vain. He wound up all with a hearty laugh at 
what he no doubt considered my weakness, and added : 
' Pig's flesh is very good for you, but this is the thing 
for us ;" and suiting the action to the word, he seized 
his arm with his teeth, and shook it, as if he were going 
to take the bit out ! It is different on some other is- 
lands, but at Tanna cannibal connoisseurs prefer a black 
man to a white one. The latter they say tastes salt ! 
They regard, however, as ^^fish" all who come in their 
way, as the sequel to massacres of white men there has 
amply proved. 

" We found no such things as a king or great chief at 
Tanna. No Thakombau, Pomare, or Kamehameha there. 
The authority of a Tanna chief does not seem to extend 
a gunshot from his own dwelling. In a settlement, or 
village, you find eight or ten families. Their huts are 
put up, without any rule or arrangement, among the 
trees ; and in this place, which has its village name, you 
may number a population of eighty or a hundred. 
There will be at least one or two principal men among 



364 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHBSON. 

them, who are called chiefs. The affairs of this little 
community are regulated by the chief and the heads of 
f ;milies. Six, or eight, or more, of these villages unite 
and form what may be called a district, or county, and 
all league together for mutual protection. If a person 
belonging to one of these villages is injured or killed by 
the people of another district, all the villagers of his 
district unite in seeking redress^ either by a fine or by 
war and spoliation. 

" Every village has a clear circular space under the 
shade of a large banian-tree for their marum, or place 
of public meeting. Here all the men of the settlement 
assemble about sundown for a cup of kava and their 
evening meal. The kava [Piper metJiystieum) is pre- 
pared in the usual Polynesian way, by chewing the 
root, and ejecting the contents of the mouth into the 
' punch-bowl,' which, when filled up with water, mixed, 
and strained, forms the draught. The women and girls 
are Hotal abstainers' from the nasty cup, and have 
their meals apart from the men. At the evening meal 
the chief of the village is the Kigh-priest, and repeats a 
short prayer to the gods before they drink, asking 
health, long life, good crops, and success in battle. 
In the marum they have also their marriage-feasts. 
Raw yams and live pigs are served up on these occa- 
sions, as well as cooked food, and heaps are carried 
away by the guests. Feasts at the birth of children, 
night dances, and meetings to discuss political afiairs 
are held in the marum. 

" Polygamy prevails, but not to any great extent. 
A chief has seldom more than three wives, and often 
only one or two. Women are not allowed to sit with 



THE TANNESB. 365 

the men in the marum, except on marriage feasts or 
other public festivals. Owing to the constant demand 
on the services of the men for war, a great deal of the 
plantation work, cooking, etc., devolves on the women ; 
but, upon the whole, we thought the women better 
treated at Tanna than they often are among heathen 
tribes. Adultery and some other crimes are kept in 
check by the fear of club law. The culprit is never 
safe, and does not know the moment he may be pounced 
upon by the offended party. Revenge, too, is often 
sought in the death of the brother, or some other near 
relative of the culprit. Circumcision is regularly prac- 
tised about the seventh year. 

" Pigs and fowls, they say, have always been there ; 
dogs and cats were but recently introduced. 

" The Tannese have no idols. The banian-tree forms 
their sacred grove, or temple, for religious worship. 
Here and there in the bush there are particular stones 
which are venerated. 

" Their general name for gods seems to be aremha ; 
that means a dead man^ and hints alike at the origin 
and nature of their religious worship. The spirits of 
their departed ancestors are their gods. Chiefs who 
reach an advanced age are after death deified, addressed 
by name, and prayed to on various occasions. They 
are supposed especially to preside over the growth of 
the yams and the different fruit trees. The first-fruits 
are presented to them, and in doing this they lay a little 
of the fruit on some stone, or shelving branch of the 
tree, or some more temporary altar of a few rough 
sticks from the bush, lashed together with strips of bark, 
31 * 



366 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

in the form of a table with its four feet stuck in the 
ground. 

" The sick are kindly attended to to the last. Local 
bleeding is a common remedy for almost every com- 
plaint; they do not open a vein, but merely make a few 
incisions with a bamboo-knife. When the case is con- 
sidered dangerous, their last resort is to burn the foot. 
I have seen, for instance, a poor fellow dying fro\n an 
arrow wound in the neck, and the sole of his foot just 
burned to a mass of raw flesh. Unconsciousness, or 
any other symptom of approaching death, is the signal 
to commence wailing. When the patient lingers for 
days, the wailing becomes a tearless, formal aJBfair. At 
death it is increased by other friends who gather round. 
The body is then laid out, wrapped in a piece of thick 
native cloth, something like tanned leather, made from 
the bark of the banian-tree. The face is kept exposed 
and painted red, and on the following day the grave is 
dug, and the body buried amid the weeping and wailing 
of the surrounding friends. The grave is dug four or 
five feet deep ; then they hollow out a recess on the 
one side sufficient to admit the body, and there they lay 
it in the side of the pit. There is something peculiar 
in this, and strikingly illustrative of that obscure refe- 
rence, in the book of Ezekiel, to Hhe sides of the pit.' 
(Ezek. xxxii. 23.) 

"It is in general difficult to trace the origin of the 
customs practised by a heathen people. To this, how- 
ever, we have a melancholy exception in the recent in- 
troduction to Tanna of a species of sutteeism. On the 
neighbouring island of Aneiteum, it w^as common, on 
the death of a chief, to strangle his wives, that they 



THE TANNESE. 367 

might accompany him to the regions of the departed. 
The custom has been found in various parts of the 
Pacific. The poor deluded woman rejoices in it, if she 
has any affection for her husband, and not only shows 
us the strength of her attachment, but also her firm 
belief in the reality of a future state. An old chief 
will say as he is dying, ' Now, who will go with me ?' 
and 'immediately one and another will reply, ' I will.' 
A few years ago they commenced on Tanna to strangle 
the wives of a departed chief, and the custom is said to 
be spreading over the island ; another proof of the ten- 
dency of heathenism. Its tendency is downwards, never 
upwards ; its (Jevelopement is the increase of human 
wretchedness." 

Farther information respecting their habits will be 
brought out in the sequel. We may paention here, how- 
ever, that the other missionaries mention throwing into 
the sea as a common mode of disposing of the dead. 

There is an idea prevalent that the life of a savage, 
particularly on these islands, is a happy one, as far as 
this life is concerned. In a climate which is truly de- 
scribed as perpetual summer, and with a soil yielding 
without labour abundance of food, it is supposed that 
he must be free from all care or anxiety. " Seen in 
certain circumstances," we quote the words of Mr. 
Copeland, " he does seem to be happy, and to have the 
advantage over those that are called civilized. But if 
you trace this savage in his wanderings and doings for 
some time, and contemplate him in diiferent circum- 
stances, you come to a very difi'erent conclusion. You 
look out on a morning, and see him marching along the 
beach in high health and spirits, with a firm but grace- 



868 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

ful step. His mind seems to be free of care. He need 
not dread famine, as his land, with a little care, flows 
with milk and honey. His thirst can be quenched by 
the cooling cocoanut. As for clothing, he requires not 
to spin. All that can be called property is about his 
person, and goes with him where he goes ; he need not, 
therefore, fear the approach of the thief. His body is 
not bent and crushed with hard work. If he feel dis- 
inclined for work one day, it can be done on the follow- 
ing. He is his own master, and spends his time as he 
pleases. When the sun pours down his midday rays, 
he reclines under the shade of the cocoanut or bread- 
fruit tree ; and there, with his companion, discusses 
that which is new, fanned by the refreshing breeze. 
If inclined, he may cool his limbs in the stream or the 
glassy sea. As he digs the paternal soil or trains the 
yam, one thinks of the days of the golden age ; and as 
he «kims along the placid deep in his canoe, his happi- 
ness seems to be complete. Or again, to witness him, 
after his easy toil is over, returning home, carrying for 
his evening meal some fish, or a yam, or kava, from 
which' to express his favourite beverage, one naturally 
concludes that savage life has many enjoyments. 

" Civilization may bring with it burdens, but these 
are amply compensated by the additional comforts it 
secures. Did health and youth continue always, and 
were this world free from vicissitudes, the savage and 
he that is civilized might be nearly on a level. The 
savage is not free ; he is confined to a small part of an 
island. At no great distance from his habitation are 
boundaries he dare not pass ; he lives in constant terror 
of his neighbours, is the slave of tobacco and kava, and 



THE TANNESE. 369 

is tormented with an insatiable desire to possess. When 
the temperature has been suddenly lowered, he is pinched 
with cold — his scanty fire affords him but little warmth, 
and the chill winds seek through his frail habitation. 
Prostrated by fever, there is no skilful physician or 
powerful remedy to aid the powers of nature. His 
friends neglect him, and leave him to die or live. He 
seldom attains to old age, and if he does, he finds it 
possessed of no comfarts ; a new generation has arisen 
around him ; he has no strength to dig, and no means 
of husbanding his sinking strength ; he dies, is buried, 
and straightway forgotten." 

It is but just to observe, that while the inhabitants 
of the New Hebrides are morally in a most degraded 
condition, there are some redeeming features in their 
character. Bishop Pattison, who has visited a large 
number of islands, and is in the habit of committing 
himself unarmed among the natives wherever he goes, 
says : " Amongst them (the Melanesian savages) I have 
met some whom I might fairly speak of as thorough 
gentlemen. I was greatly pleased when I came across 
that passage of Capt. Speke's book, where, after his 
return from his remarkable tour in Africa, he told the 
members of the Royal Society in England that some of 
these people he had met with, and who were considered 
as wild heathen savages, were as perfect gentlemen as 
any people he had ever met with in the whole of his life. 
I can bear just the same testimony." 

It is to be observed that thpre is often among them, 
particularly among their chiefs, a high sense of honour. 
Bishop P. mentions that, wherever he goes, he commits 
himself entirely unarmed to their power, and that his 



370 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

very defencelessness is his best defence. Just as an 
Englishman will not strike a man when he was down, 
they feel it dishonourable to strike a man who trusts 
himself in their power without any weapon. 

The experience of the missionaries too has shown, 
that when a chief pledges himself to be kind to the 
teachers or missionaries, and to use his influence with 
others to induce them to treat them in the same manner, 
these pledges may be relied on. Their influence may 
be limited. No one has any power beyond his own land, 
and even within it cannot always control his own people, 
and missionaries may be in danger from various sources ; 
but in the past history of missions on Tanna, (and the 
same is the case to a greater or less extent on other is- 
lands,) it has been found that a chief's pledge of pro- 
tection is sacred. In the case of Messrs. Nisbet and 
Turner, those chiefs who had promised to protect them 
fought for them to the peril of their lives, and it was 
only when several of their people had been killed, and 
there was a likelihood of more suffering the same fate, 
that the missionaries felt it their duty to leave the field. 
The same faithfulness to their pledges has been main- 
tained since, by the chiefs, toward the other missionaries 
and teachers labouring among them ; — this although, in 
some instances, the chiefs giving the pledge were heathen, 
and avowed their determination to remain so. 

Another instance as exemplifying the principle of 
honour among them is mentioned by Mr. Geddie. In 
visiting heathen islands in the missionary schooner John 
Knox, wherever the vessel is known he has allowed them 
all freely to come on board, trusting every thing to their 
honour, and he has never had anything stolen ; although, 



THE TANNESE. 871 

under different treatment, the South Sea Islanders are 
generally famous as thieves. 

On the 18th of November, 1839, Christian teachers 
first landed on Tanna, from the missionary brig Cam- 
den. That night they only slept on shore, while the 
vessel stood off and on, that they might be able to judge 
how the natives were likely to treat them when left at 
their mercy. The result being favourable, their pro- 
perty was landed on the following day, and three Sa- 
moan teachers took up their abode among them. John 
Williams with some difficulty made them understand 
that these were "men of Jehovah," the foreigner's God. 
The chief consented to receive them, and promised to 
treat them kindly, and to listen 'to their instructions. 
The people manifested great eagerness to receive them, 
though of course their ideas of the good that they ex- 
pected to receive through their instrumentality were 
very indefinite. In reference to this event, Mr. Wil- 
liams wrote his last lines as follows : " Thus terminated 
one of the most interesting visits we have ever yet been 
privileged to have with a heathen people in their bar- 
barous and savage state, when taking to them the word 
of life ; and none, perhaps, manifested a more friendly 
demeanour to strangers such as we were among them." 
The placing of these teachers on Tanna, as is well 
known, was the last act of John Williams. On the fol- 
lowing day he obtained the martyr's crown on Erro- 
tnanga. 

These faithful men laboured for some time amid great 
difficulties and many discouragements, but at length mat- 
ters seemed so favourable, that in June, 1842, Rev. 
Messrs. Nisbet and Turner, who had just arrived from 



372 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

England, landed at Port Resolution and commenced 
their missionary labours there. They applied themselves 
with great energy to their work, but seven months af- 
ter, in the month of January following, they were obliged 
to escape for their lives. 

' In April, 1845, the island was again visited, and there 
being an appearance of a favourable change having ta- 
ken place, three Raratongan and four Samoan teachers 
were stationed at three separate stations near the bay, 
but after a time one of them was killed, another bru- 
tally injured, in consequence of which the rest removed 
to Aneiteum. ' 

In March, 1847, a chief sent to Aneiteum for teachers. 
The call seemed providential, and two teachers immedi- 
ately returned, who in the following year were joined 
by a third. The result wag the same as before. In 
1854, they were all obliged to leave. 

The failure of these three attempts to evangelize 
Tanna took place under similar circumstances. The 
chiefs near the harbour, who had engaged to protect the 
teachers remained faithful to their engagements, and 
numbers of their people continued friendly. But the 
heathen tribes inland in which were a large number of 
disease makers a-nd sacred men, were bitterly hostile. 
These men seeing their craft in danger if Christianity 
should spread, inflamed the minds of the others by re- 
presenting it as the cause of sickness and death. Strange 
to say in each case an epidemic broke out in circumstan- 
ces, which gave them a favourable opportunity of work- 
ing upon their superstitious fears. 

The work however was destined to be resumed sooner 
than could have been anticipated. While Tanna had 



THE TANNESE. 3T3 

been the scene of so many calamities, the neighbouring 
island of Aneiteum exhibited a very different state of 
things. Christianity had been there embraced, and its 
blessed fruits appeared in the moral and social improve- 
ment of the inhabitants. A party of Tannese having 
gone to Aneiteum, to visit some of their relations, re- 
turned with a glowing account of the wonderful changes 
in progress there. This induced a number to go over 
to see for themselves. They built two canoes for the 
purpose, and crossed over in September, 1854. They 
were greatly astonished with what they saw and partic- 
ularly with the fact, that there was peace throughout the 
whole island, and that the inhabitants might pass freely 
from one part to another. They made a tour of the 
whole island, and were astonished at what they saw. 
The result was that they resolved to embrace Christian- 
ity, and requested that teachers might be given them. 
A few weeks after, the John Williams arrived at Anei- 
teum, and the missionaries having heard of this state 
of things, she on the 14th October, took over two Anei- 
teum teachers and their wives, and landed them at Anui- 
karaka, on the south-east side of the island about 14 
miles distant from Port Resolution, and under the pro- 
tection of the chief, who had visited Aneiteum, named 
Yaresi, who we may observe remained firm in his attach- 
ment to the missionaries as long as he lived. It was at 
this place that Mr. Matheson was afterward stationed. 

These teachers were received by the chief and his 
people with a most cordial welcome. Some 300 of the 
natives assembled on the beach to receive them, the men 
without their weapons of war, and women and children 
joining in the crowd to gaze on the strangers. When 
82 



874 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

the boat came near the shore, the people very readily 
took the teachers and their things from the boat to the 
shore in their canoes, and when the teachers' wives stood 
up to go into one of the canoes, the females on shore, 
as soon as they caught sight of them, set up a loud 
shout, and ran forward to the landing-place, leaping and 
dancing with delight. 

In the following year two Aneiteumese, Abraham and 
Nimtiwan, teachers, were stationed at Port Resolution, 
and under encouraging circumstances. Nauwar, one of 
the chiefs, came over to Aneiteum to see what Christi- 
anity had done on that island and to solicit teachers. 
He and others friendly to Christianity gladly received 
these teachers, who commenced their labours with fair 
prospects of success. 

For some time at both these stations the teachers la- 
boured with encouragement. The natives were kind to 
them, supplying them with abundance of food, though 
from their being chiefs of some standing on Aneiteum, 
and "having connexions among the Tannese, they might 
have been treated so had they not been teachers. At 
some of the stations nearly all the inhabitants attended 
public worship. At Port Resolution the teachers were 
in the habit of visiting ten villages and holding public 
worship in the open square of each village. At fir^t 
nearly all the population attended, but sickness having 
again broken out, their superstitious fears were again 
aroused, and nearly all deserted them. A consultation 
had even been held with the view of killing them, but 
the chiefs said. No, you must kill us first. At the south- 
east station the number who attended service was so 
large that the grass house in which they met would not 



THE TANNESE. 376 

contain them. The teachers here however had their tri- 
als, though their lives were not in danger. War had 
broken out at their very door, and the house in which 
c,hey lived belonging to the chief had been burned down; 
but the house set apart for religious worship, was re- 
spected by the fighting parties, and marks were set up 
at a safe distance, to indicate that it was to be held sa- 
cred. 

In June, 1857, the John Williams arrived with Mr. 
Gordon on board. The missionaries on board were 
anxious that he should occupy Port Resolution, as they 
deemed it the most important station in the group. The 
chiefs round that harbour were desirous of receiving 
missionaries, but they were afraid of the inland tribe 
of disease-makers. Besides there had been great fight- 
ing round, and peace had scarcely been re-established. 
Under these circumstances it was thought more advisable 
that Mr. Gordon should settle on Erromanga. At the 
South-east station all was encouraging. The people 
were anxious for a missionary, but it was not deemed 
advisable to occupy that place, till Port Resolution 
could be occupied at the same time. 

For the next year the work seemed to advance. But 
the following incident which occurred at this time, will 
show the power of superstition over the minds of the 
natives. A chief of influence and a party of his young 
men visited Port Resolution. He saw the teachers, and 
was so pleased with what. he heard from them, that he 
begged one of them to go to his land. After the chief 
returned to his own district, sickness broke out, and 
the people, because he was favourable to Christianity, 
which they supposed to be the cause of the sickness, 



376 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

killed him and the young men who had been with him 
at Port Resolution. 

But other places were anxious for additional teachers, 
which were sent from Aneiteum, and by the time of the 
arrival of Messrs. Matheson, ,Paton, and Copeland, not 
only did the way seem open for the occupation of the 
island by missionaries, but prospects seemed very fa- 
vourable for their success. The work was not indeed 
without danger, and even at the time of their landing 
matters were in an unsettled state, as the following 
letter from Mr. Inglis, written while engaged in erect- 
ing a house at Port Resolution, will show. 

"We have had a most exciting time here since Sabbath. War 
has again broken out, between the inland tribes and the tribes 
around the bay. Peace was restored some time ago as you are 
aware, but a short time ago, a hostile spirit was manifested by the in- 
land people, and on Sabbath, when we went inland to Prasiau, 
where Kanare the teacher lives, to have worship there, we found 
about fifty men assembled at the Intiptang, ^ We had worship with 
them, but when we were about to proceed farther, they advised that 
Mr. Paton, and I, and Nohoat should return. This we did, and 
Nimtiwan and Abraham, and the rest of our natives went on to 
the other party, and had worship, and talked to them. On 
Monday, all the warriors were in motion. Nearly 100 armed 
men from Anekahi passed us in a body, but the inland people 
did not come down. On Tuesday, both parties assembled about 
Prasiau. We were advised to leave the house, and retire to one 
of the teacher's houses about a mile farther oiF. But in all the 
circumstances of the case, we thought it best to go on with our 
work, committing ourselves to the care of our Father in heaven. 
The wall of Jerusalem was to be built in troublous times, and 
why not the mission-house? We heard the shooting distinctly, 
and the war-shout as we were working at the house. Five of 

* The Aneiteumese name for the forum or public square of the village, 
called by the Tannese, the Marum. 



THE TANNESE. 377 

the inland party were killed, and two of the shore party. It 
was painful to us to think of men, whose best interests require 
that they should live in peace, fighting, killing and eating one 
a lother. But to them it appeared to be quite the normal state 
of societ}' — the ordinary every-day state of things. Hence, just 
on the eve of a battle, or rather after it began, Mr. Paton and I 
saw a party of women on the shore, talking and laughing with 
as much unconcern as if their brothers and husbands had 
been at a friendly feast, and not a deadly fight. One of 
Miaki's people was shot, and died of his wounds yesterday. He 
was a man of distinction ; they strangled his widow. The poor 
woman was dead before our teachers knew anything of it, but 
such was the excitement, that even if they had known it, it is 
more than probable that they could not have prevented it. The 
shore people do not wish for war. They are simply on the 
defensive. ' ' 

Still Mr. Inglis did not anticipate any personal dan- 
ger for the missionaries. Port Resolution, it was ac- 
knowledged, was one of the worst stations that had been 
taken up. At the South-east station everything ap- 
peared favourable. Mr. Inglis, who went out to pre- 
pare the way for Mr. Matheson's settlement, thus de- 
scribes his proceedings : 

"Having agreed that Umairarekar was the most suitable 
place for the mission station, our next object was to obtain the 
consent of Kati, the chief of that district. We sent for him oil 
the Thursday afternoon, but he did not come to us till the Fri- 
day morning. Kati is still a heathen. Before any business 
could be done, he went off to bathe himself in the sea, and dress 
himself like a gentleman ; his dress, however, was too meagre 
to admit of any minute description. We met with him and the 
other chiefs in front of Wansafe's house. Nohoat, one of the 
principal chiefs of Aneiteum, accompanied us to Tanna at this 
time, and has been exerting himself to the utmost to promote 
the objects of the mission. We asked Kati, through Nohoat, 
who is well acquainted with the Tannese language, if he was 
32 * 



378 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

"willing that a missionary should come and live on his land. He 
answered that he was quite willing. We then asked him if he 
would protect the missionary and his property from the natives. 
This seemed to be a kind of reflection upon his honour, as if his 
willingness to receive a missionary had not implied his protec- 
tion, and with a good deal of animation he rose and spoke some- 
what as follows: — 'If the missionary is not afraid of such men 
as Nohoat, and Yaresi, and Namaka, why should he be afraid 
of me? The teachers came here from Aneiteum ; they built one 
house, and lived in it till it was rotten ; then they built another, 
and lived in it till it also was rotten ; and now they have built 
another, and are living in it, and what ill have I ever done to 
them? I am not like Yaresi and Namaka, who steal men's 
wives, and make war, and burn houses, and kill men ; I am not 
a praying man like them, and I will never be one, but neither I 
nor any of my people will do any ill to the missionary,' Kati 
was here referring to a quarrel which had arisen in Yaresi' s land 
about two years ago, caused by some man running away with 
his neighbour's wife. Kati had some old grudge against Yaresi, 
and evidently thought this too good an opportunity to lose, for 
getting his mind fully unburdened. In a small way, his speech 
was a piece of as plain, out-spoken, scolding, as any that Homer 
has put into the mouths of his heroes before the walls of Troy. 
"While lying at Port Hesolution, about eighty-four years ago, Mr. 
Wales told Captain Cook, that there is scarcely an action, cir- 
cumstance, or description of any kind relating to a spear in Ho- 
mer, which he had not seen and recognized among the natives 
of Tanna: this had removed from that gentleman's mind all 
doubts as to the correctness of Homer's descriptions. And had 
he heard Kati's speech yesterday, on, by no means a very excit- 
ing subject, he would, no doubt, have concluded that as little of 
the marvellous found a place in Homer's speeches as in his de- 
scriptions of the poising and throwing of a spear. As Nohoat, 
and the other chiefs were satisfied that Kati was honest in his 
oiFers of protection to the missionary, and as none of them 
seemed to think it expedient, in the circumstances, to take any 
notice of his charges, we told him his words were good for us, 
and that the missionary would live on his land. ' ' 



THE TANNESE. 379 

Mr. Geddie, who visited that part of the island a 
short time before, thus wrote : '' The people in this part 
of Tanna are very anxious for a missionary, and they 
were sadly disappointed that Mr. Gordon did not settle 
among them. They are certainly in a very rude and 
savage state, but not more so than they were on 
Aneiteum when we landed here ; and there is this dif- 
ference that they wish a missionary, whereas the people 
>f this island did not. A missionary willing to submit 
to some inconveniences and hardships would find here a 
more inviting sphere of usefulness than has yet been 
occupied on the New Hebrides, for the people are so 
numerous and anxious for the gospel. It would be 
too much to expect that these poor, dark-hearted island- 
ers at first desire the gospel for the gospel's sake. They 
know that Christianity brings with it many temporal 
advantages, and they wish it for these ; but whatever 
their motives may be a great end is gained when they 
are willing to receive our message. But alas ! the poor 
Tannese are in a fearful state. With few exceptions 
the people of one village dare not go to the next, or it 
would be at the expense of their lives. It was pre- 
cisely so on Aneiteum in the days of heathenism." 

Thus when Mr. Matheson landed, though difficulties 
and some dangers were apprehended, it appeared as if 
the time to favour dark Tanna had come. Hitherto the 
history of the attempts to evangelize the island had 
been a history of disaster, but it seemed now as if a 
brighter day was about to dawn. But alas I if the 
morning was coming, so was also the night. 



380 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 



CHAPTER V. 

FIRST MESIDENCE ON TANNA. 

On the 1st November, the three brethren left Anei- 
teum. Their final settlement on Tanna is thus described 
by Mr. Geddie : 

" After a sail of about eight hours, we came to an- 
chor in Port Resolution. On the following day we re- 
moved to the mission house, which is a neat plastered 
building. It stands at the head of the harbour, and 
commands a very fine view. Mr. Paton, by previous 
arrangement, occupies this station. Miaki, the chief, 
and the people at large, appear pleased to have a mis- 
sionary residing among them. The appearance of the 
people was very warlike at the time of our arrival. 
They have recently been fighting with an inland tribe, 
and as peace has not yet been established, they hold 
themselves in constant readiness for action. They told 
us not to be afraid — that nobody would molest us. 

" After spending two days at Port Resolution, I ac- 
companied Mr. and Mrs. Matheson to their station, 
called Umairarekar, on the south side of the island. 
The day was fine, and we had a pleasant run of three 
hours. As there is no anchorage, the ' John Knox ' 
hove to, and her cargo was landed in boats. A large 
number of natives collected on the shore to see us. The 



FIRST RESIDENCE ON TANNA. 381 

excitement caused bj our arrival was so great, that it 
was some hours before the natives were sufficiently com- 
posed to carry the luggage to the house, which was some 
distance off. Mrs. Matheson was an object of great cu- 
riosity to the natives, as few of them had ever seen a 
white woman before. The women at first were afraid, 
and some of them ran off when she approached them ; 
but their confidence was soon gained, and they were de- 
lighted with her. As the mission house was not habit- 
able, we took up our abode in a small grass house. I 
remained with Mr. and Mrs. M. for nine days, during 
which time we saw many natives. We observed a 
marked difference between those among whom the teach- 
ers resided and strangers from a distance, the latter 
being very savage and wild in their appearance. They 
examined with great curiosity every thing that came 
under their notice, and were sometimes intrusive. It 
is due, however, to the natives, to say that they did not 
steal anything, though they had much in their power. 
They said if we had not been missionaries, every thing 
belonging to us would have been stolen. During the 
stay at Umairarekar, I worked at Mr. Matheson's house 
along with a number of Aneiteum natives, and it was 
habitable before we left. It is a building 40x15 feet, 
and contains three rooms. The site is very pretty, and 
there is a spring of fine water on the beach before the 
door, and a running stream at a short distance. The 
island of Aneiteum is visible from the house, and in 
clear weather it looks very near. The chief of the dis- 
trict in which Mr. M. resides is very friendly. The 
morning that I left, he and some others came to me, 
and said that we must not be uneasy about Mr. and 



382 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

Mrs. Matheson, as nobody would be allowed to molest 
or injure them." 

Mr. Matheson's letters were in a similar strain. In 
his first letter from the island he says : " They (the na- 
tives) appeared very much pleased, when we landed, 
with the idea of having a missionary coming to live 
among them — the chiefs especially, several of whom are 
very kind, and often send us presents of food. The 
chief on whose land we are living (viz., Kati) is still a 
heathen man ; but he seems delighted that the house 
was built upon his land, and he calls us his own mis- 
sionaries. He comes about the house very often, and 
appears willing to do every thing to promote our com- 
fort and safety. Yaresi, who appears to be the oldest 
chief living near us, has professed a desire for teachers 
and missionaries during the last two years, and is still 
professedly Alaigaheni, as they say when they renounce 
heathenism and have a desire to embrace Christianity. 
He has proved a very true and faithful friend to us 
since our arrival, and is anxious that we should soon 
speak their dialect, as he says he wants to know some- 
thing about the word of God." 

Mr. Matheson entered upon his labours with an en- 
ergy which, considering the feeble state of his health, 
was astonishing, and showed the strength of his will 
and the determination of his character. Writing a few 
months later, he gives the following summary of his first 
six months' labours : 

" During the first month of our residence upon Tan- 
na, my time was wholly occupied with manual labour 
about the house and premises. After that, we began 
to apply ourselves as closely as possible to the acquisi- 



FIRST RESIDENCE ON TANNA. 388 

tion of the language, which is the first thing demanding 
attention after you have a house in which to live. We 
soon succeeded in gathering up a sufficient number of 
phrases to enable us to converse a little with the natives 
in their own language. Earlj in January, we opened 
a morning school at our station, which I superintended, 
and another at a village called Anuikaraka, about a 
mile distant, which was conducted by Talip, one of the 
Aneiteum teachers. As might be naturally expected, 
the attendance at each of the schools was but small, and 
very irregular for several weeks. Their conduct, how- 
ever, while in school, was much better than we could 
have expected, considering that they know nothing of 
the nature of a school — had never before seen a letter, 
and could not perceive any temporal advantage that 
might be gained by attending the school. One of our 
chiefs, named Viavia, who lives quite near us, attended 
regularly, and soon mastered the alphabet, which he 
considered a great achievement. He appears very anx- 
ious to learn to read, and often used to go into the 
school-room and point out the letters (which were pasted 
on the wall) to others equally desirous to read, but not 
so far advanced. On the Sabbath we had three places 
of public worship — the central one at our own station, 
in which we had service every Sabbath morning, one at 
Anuikaraka, and the third at a village called Kuamera; 
at each of these two stations we had service every alter- 
nate Sabbath afternoon. Having no church, or even a 
large school-house at our station, we were obliged to 
assemble in the yard on Sabbath mornings ; but though 
all out doors afforded us ample church accommodation, 
yet it was not very comfortable either in hot or in wet 



^84 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

weather ; consequently, the attendance upon public wor- 
ship was not as good as we could have desired, nor even 
as it would have been, had we but a building in which 
to assemble. To remedy this evil, we resolved upon 
building a church, though we evidently saw that it would 
be an undertaking not easily accomplished, as we had 
not any material at hand with which to commence, nei- 
ther had we any suitable articles of barter, with which 
to purchase the wood from the natives, and also to pay 
for its carriage. It is, however, a bad wind which blows 
nobody good, and at that very time there happened to 
be an old trading vessel wrecked in the harbour, having 
on board a large quantity of the kind of trade which we 
required. Upon hearing of it, I immediately wrote to 
Mr. Oopeland, who was then living at Port Resolution, 
and requested him to purchase a quantity of knives, 
hatchets, &c., &c. He did so, and forwarded them the 
following day. The wood, with the exception of some 
large logs, had all to be carried some 4^ or 5 miles by 
the natives. The chief, from whom we received the 
wood, not only sent his men, but also assisted them him- 
self in cutting and carrying out not only a part, but a 
sufficiency of wood to finish the church, which is a good, 
substantial building, 24x48 feet. After the erection 
and completion of the house in March, the attendance 
upon public worship began to increase daily, and the 
average attendance in March and April was from 180 
to 230 — in the preceding months from 50 to 70. At 
Anuikaraka the average attendance was about 40, and 
at Kuamera about 125. We also had native worship in 
our own house four nights in the week, for the benefit 
of those who might feel disposed to attend. That meet- 



FIRST RESIDENCE ON TANNA. 385 

ing was very irregularly attended ; some evenings there 
might not be more than 4 or 5 persons present ; other 
evenings some 25 or 30. 

" Mrs. Matheson had also a number of girls and 
yonng women whom she was teaching to sew. Of them 
she might have had any number, and for any length of 
time ; but aS the portion of mission goods that fell to 
our lot was very small, she was obliged to receive only 
a limited number, not having cloth for the half of those 
who requested it. About the middle of March, I began 
to find that my strength was not altogether sufficient to 
enable me to discharge all the duties necessarily de- 
volving upon a person during the first stages of a mis- 
sion." 

The only letter from Mr. Matheson, written during 
his first residence on Tanna, is the following, to the 
Secretary of the Board : 

S. E. Mission Station, 
Tanna, New Hebrides, April 11th, 1859. 

*' We were cheered the other day by the arrival of our little 
mission Schooner, the ' John Knox, ' after an absence of nearly 
five months, and with her a budget of letters from our dear friends 
at home. I assure you it was a day of rejoicing to us. 

" As you are aware we are quite isolated here, this station not 
being at all times accessible, but we have endeavoured to keep 
up a correspondence with our brethren at the harbour, by sending 
a teacher inland from each station alternately. 

" As far as weather has been concerned, we have had an agree- 
able season ; notwithstanding this, there has been much sickness 
among the natives. They are very superstitious with regard to 
sickness, and the missionaries are supposed to be the cause of all 
which has taken place during the season. As yet only a very 
few of them will receive medicine. 

' ' We have through the friendliness and exertions of two chiefs, 
33 



886 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

erected a reed churcli, 48 feet by 24, It was quite an undertak- 
ing here in the present state of matters, but by the blessing of 
God, we have succeeded, and are now able to hold our services 
comfortably on Sabbath. The average attendance since the 
church has been built, numbers about 150, the greater part wo- 
men and children. We have worship at half past eight in the 
morning, and in the afternoon at Anuikaraka, and Umarares, 
alternately, districts on either side of us, the services conducted 
principally by native teachers. We cannot as yet see any im- 
provement in the people around us, or that they manifest any 
desire for the word of God. While health prevails, a few are 
disposed to look favourably on the missionary, but when sickness 
comes, those few fall away and begin to look cold and suspi- 
cious. 

" Some time since, Namaka, chief of Anuikaraka, received an 
affront from a chief of this district ; war threatened, and the 
people here were all prepared to act on the defensive, when Na- 
maka considered that the mission premises would be involved 
and destroyed, also a large plantation belonging to his brother 
Yaresi, and Yaresi being absent, the war was prevented. 

"The natives here are most expert thieves. They have stolen 
a great many of our table knives, also a number of other articles, 
which they say were presented to them by the spirits. There is 
no chief here who will stand up on the missionary's side, al- 
though many of them profess to be friendly. We entertain 
great hopes of Kati, who has been kind to us, and who is an im- 
portant chief, as he owns all the district lying along the boat 
harbour. We were inclined to look to Yaresi for protection as 
he has long been anxious to have a missionary reside here, but 
about the beginning of the year, a sandal wood vessel called 
here, and decoyed away a number of natives, under pretence of 
taking them to Aneiteum, among whom was Yaresi. We have 
since heard that they went to Erromanga. 

" I hold a morning class with the natives, but the attendance 
is very irregular. The few who do attend are learning the alpha- 
bet very quickly, but the majority of the people manifest the 
utmost indifference, and many of them are afraid of books. Al- 
though teachers have long resided on this island, there is no 



FIRSl RESIDENCE ON TANNA. 387 

native yet who has abandoned heathenism. We often feel cast 
down, yet not discouraged, hoping that brighter days may yet 
dawn upon Tanna, and that ' the time to favour her' may soon 
arrive. 

" And now, brethren, pray for us, that the work of the Lord 
may prosper among the degraded inhabitants of this island." 

Mrs. M. proved a help meet for him. Her situation 
was indeed a trying one, being isolated from all society, 
no white woman near her, surrounded by rude and dis- 
gusting savages. It was also laborious, as she had to 
attend to all household work, with only the assistance 
of Aneiteumese servants, to minister to the wants of 
a husband in delicate health, and at the same time en- 
deavour to carry on missionary work, learning the lan- 
guage, gathering around her the females, particularly 
the little girls, and endeavouring to instruct them in 
reading and sewing. But these trials she bore cheer- 
fully, and she was quite happy in her work. On the 
12th January following, Mrs. G. thus writes : " She 
appears to be very cheerful and happy in her new home. 
She lives in the midst of the wildest and most daring 
savages. But they all seem to respect her, and she has 
a manner about her that will make her a favourite 
wherever she is." 

We subjoin extracts of the few letters written by her 
during this residence : 

TO HER MOTHER. 

" Tanna, November 8th, 1860. 

" Hoping that another opportunity may occur before the com- 
mencement of the rainy season, T write yon a few lines. I know 
you will feel anxious to know where and how we are settled. 

"We left Aneiteum on Friday morning and in the evening 



388 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

arrived at Port Resolution ; this was considered a good passage, 
but sufficiently long for Mrs. Paton and me, for we were both 
very seasick. The native teachers welcomed us very heartily, 
and we remained in their house all night. In the morning we 
all went to Mr. Paton' s house, to remain until Monday. 

" On Sabbath a service was held with the natives. A number 
came and conducted themselves in a very pleasing manner during 
the time of worship. In the afternoon, Mrs. Paton and I re- 
mained at home, while the others went to the teachers' house,^ 
to hold a service with the Aneiteum natives. Upon looking out 
at the window, an old man shook his club at me, but as I be- 
trayed no signs of fear, he soon went away. On Monday, uncle 
and I left in the John Knox for our station, which is on the south- 
east side of the island, Mr. Matheson having gone before us in 
a boat, with a number of boxes. 

"Our house not being nearly finished, we came to the 
teachers', where we will remain until our own is habitable. The 
situation of our house is a very lovely one, and I should sup- 
pose, very healthy. As it is the windward side of the island, we 
have a breeze continually. Upon a clear day we can see Anei- 
teum distinctly. The only disadvantage we have, seems to be 
the difficulty in landing. 

" We met with a favourable reception from the natives here, 
and prospects at present look bright. A number of them as- 
sisted in carrying boxes and bringing lime for the house. There 
are a number of fine-looking young women here ; two of them 
have been almost constantly about us since we arrived. I have 
given them needles and thread, and with my help one of them 
made a garment ; the others' is not quite finished. I think they 
have learned to sew very quickly ; they seem very fond of it. 
Their faces are painted, and they look a little wild ; but getting 
them covered will be one step toward civilization. They seem a 
much finer-looking race than the Aneiteumese. 

" Nohoat* is over here just now; he speaks the language very 
well, and seems to have some influence. Uncle .speaks of allow 
ing him to remain here during the rainy season. 

"You have no idea of the degraded appearance of those na- 

* The chief of the district in which Mr. Geddie resided on Aneiteum. 



FIRST RESIDENCE ON TANNA. 389 

tives. I hope these may be the beginning of brighter days on 
this dark island. 

' ' I am considered a perfect wonder, as they have never before 
seen a white female. Many of them are afraid to shake hands, 
and some run away. We had a service with them in our new 
house yesterday, and notwithstanding the rain, and the risk of 
spoiling their hair, which is done up in the same stj'^le as on 
Aneiteum on former days, and of which they are exceedingly 
proud, a great many came ; two rooms were crowded, — and the 
other, which is not nearly finished, contained a great many. 

"We sang the ' Old Hundredth' to some verses composed by 
Mr. Turner while upon this island many years ago. The natives 
were delighted, and paid great attention. We considered this a 
nice way of opening the new house, and to-day we are making 
preparations to remove in and occupy the finished rooms. Mr. 
Matheson is much better, and working busily at the house. I 
am perfectly well, and waiting anxiously until we are perfectly 
settled to try and get some young girls, to teach them sewing, &c. 

" I must apply to my friends for assistance, in the shape of 
gay calicoes, old bonnets, ribbons, scissors, thimbles, pens, 
pencils, slates, and paper, &c. It is better not to send anything 
made up, except coarse shirts; they are always required. 

"Remember me kindly to my Pictou and New Glasgow 
friends, — and now, dear mother, good bye for the present, never 
be anxious about me, — remember me in your prayers, and that 
God may give you every blessing and happiness, is the earnest 
desire of your 

"Loving daughter, 

"Mary." 

to her brother, then at college. 

Same date. 
" You do not know how anxious I am about you, and what an 
interest I take in you. There is no reason why you should not 
distinguish yourself. Always aim higher, dear. I do not think 
a young man can aspire too high. Always seek refined society ; 
by this I mean, pure, and good, and intelligent. Be regular in 
all your habits. Cultivate a kind and genteel manner, no matter 
33 * 



390 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

in what society you are, and a great deal of self-respect. Have 
a mind of your own ; do not be swayed to and fro by the opinions 
of others. You will find if you travel, that it is not the dress 
that constitutes the gentleman, but the mind and manner. 

" I am glad you are studying astronomy. ^How I enjoyed the 
clear nights on board ship, watching the stars, and learning their 
names. I can find out a great many constellations, for instance, 
Orion, the Great Bear, the Southern Cross, which you have not 
got in the northern hemisphere, Scorpio. I also watch Venus 
in the evening. She looks so large and beautiful. We saw a 
very large comet, which remained for some time. The tail was 
long and bright. 

"Our house is near the shore, only separated from it by a 
row of Pandanus. The sea breaks with great violence against 
the coral rocks, and then dashes up in the air, forming such 
pretty jets, with a noise almost like thunder. I love to sit and 
watch it. I can sit and look at Aneiteum on clear days. 

"I am among rather a wild race, but I do not feel afraid. 
We have a number of teachers and their wives here, and the 
Tannese are very kind to me. They have never seen a white 
female here before on this side of the island. They look and 
shake their heads at me, and say, haran^ which means woman, 
lamar-sin, which means very good. The men often come for 
the lend of my scissors to trim their beards. I am living just 
now in a grass house, with no window, and only openings for 
doors. We expect to get into our own house day after to-mor- 
row. Do not let any person see this, as I am writing on the 
corner of a washing-stand,, and there are three big Tannese 
watching me and jabbering among themselves. 

"And now, my dear boy, do not be displeased with me tor 
writing to you in this style ; it is my love for you that prompts 
me to do it. ' ' 

TO HER MOTHER. 

" Tanna^ Nov. 1858. 
"I shall onljT^ be able to write you a few hurried lines at this 
time. I am sending this to Aneiteum, in hopes that another 
vessel may leave for Sydney shortly. I have written to you 



FIRST RESIDENCE ON TANNA. 391 

since we came to Tanna. We are now in our own house, and 
find it very comfortable, although not quite finished. Mr. Cope- 
land and Mr. M. are busily working at it. 

"The natives around us are very kind, and often help with 
work. We have a very large attendance on Sabbaths, and also 
at our prayer-meetings on Friday. I have two little girls who 
come regularly to learn their alphabet and sew. I am in hopes 
that more will follow their example. There is a great war here 
at present; people from all the lands around us are fighting, 
and destroying each other's property. They are a frightfully 
savage, and cruel people. Oh, may the time soon come when 
wars shall cease on this island ! Many desire the word of God, 
among them two of our principal chiefs. They both attend our 
meetings regularly, and are very kind to us, often bringing us 
presents of food. One of them always comes clothed. The 
other who is a very vain man, and proud of his personal ap- 
pearance, cannot be induced to wear clothing yet. When natives 
bring presents they generally expect a present in return, but 
just now one of our chiefs brought me a number of taro, and 
will not receive anything in return. 

"This is a beautiful island, much more beautiful than Anei- 
teum, vegetation being much more abundant. I should think it 
approached nearer to Samoa than any of the western islands. 
* * * As Mr. Paton is stationed at the harbour, we occupy the 
south side. It is much more beautiful than the harbour, though 
the harbour is interesting, having the volcano near, and hot 
springs. We can see the smoke and flames from the volcano 
constantly. 

" I think I have turned out a very good housekeeper. I am 
running about from morning until night, but it seems to agree 
with me. I am not able to do any hard work. Indeed I do not 
require to do it. The house is continually crowded with natives, 
and I cannot get sewing done, or writing except in the evening. 
The women seem very fond of me. My little girls oftrm come in 
and put their arms around me. I laugh and talk with thera 
and show them my things. You must gain the affection of na- 
tives before you can teach them anything. I am very well. I 



392 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

think I never enjoyed better health. I hope it may continue, 
for I have certainly a great charge. 

"The Tannese are a finer-looking race than many cf the na- 
tives of Western Polynesia. They are a dark brown colour, but 
the Eastern islanders are lighter in colour than our "North 
American Indians. 

"I like native food very much, though I did not at first. The 
largest yams in the world grow upon Tanna. I have heard of 
them being six feet long, though I have never seen any so large. 
They are very nice, the smaller ones particularly, not unlike our 
potatoes. Taro is not like any thing at home, so that if I were 
to describe it, you cannot imagine it. 

" My love to my Sabbath school class, and to all my friends. 
And now that every comfort and blessing may be yours, is the 
earnest prayer of your loving daughter, &c. ' ' 



TO MISS M- 



Nov. 29, 1858. 

' ' As regards the work I know not what to say. At present 
prospects look dark. The natives are at war all around us, 
fighting and destroying each other's property. Two of our chiefs 
have not gone. They are here to-day, helping to work. This 
is encouraging. 

' ' We have a very nice comfortable little cottage with three 
rooms, situated in a very pleasant spot. We have a very large 
attendance at worship, so large that we were obliged to conduct 
service in the open air under the shade of the trees, as neither 
our house nor the teachers will hold them. There are many 
young girls here, who came very often to see me, but I cannot 
get them to come regularly, to learn to sew and read, they are 
so wild. Two come every day however, and T am in hopes that 
when we get better acquainted, more will follow their example. 
At first they were very much afraid of me, as they had never 
before seen a white female. 

"We like our missionaries from Scotland very much. Mr. 
Copeland is at this side just now. Mrs. Paton is quite a young 
person. She is not yet nineteen, but tall and stout. Mr. M. 



FIRST RESIDENCE ON TANNA. 393 

although not strong, enjoys much better health here than on 
Aneit^um. ' ' 

At Port Resolution the work was carried on at the 
same time with great energy, by Messrs. Paton and 
Copeland, but under much greater discouragements. 
The people there from their intercourse with foreigners, 
who were any thing but the best specimens of their re- 
spective countries, had added to the vices of heathenism 
some of the worst evils of civilized life. A number of 
them could speak English, but having learned it on 
board vessels, they had acquired all the hatred of pro- 
fane traders against missionaries, and were the worst 
characters they had to deal with. At such a place the 
evil conduct of white men is a great hindrance to mis- 
sion work. By them the natives are oppressed and 
robbed on every hand, and if they offer the slightest re- 
sistance they are silenced by firearms. Few months 
elapsed without some of them being shot, and the mur- 
derers instead of being ashamed, would boast of how 
they had dispatched them. Such treatment kept the 
natives burning for revenge. But the chief difficulty 
lay in the superstition of the natives. The dry weather 
having affected their crops the missionaries were blamed 
for it, and threatened with death. Rain came copiously 
followed by sickness, and the missionaries were blamed 
for that. Then there came high winds which injured 
their fruits, and again the blame was laid upon the 
teachers of the new religion. 

But the Tanna mission was again doomed to disaster. 
And strange to say, it pleased Divine Providence again 
to visit it with sickness and death, which the natives 
were so apt to connect with Christianity. On the third 



394 MEMOIR OP MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

of March, 1859, Mrs. Paton died very suddenly. Her 
death was followed on the 20th of the same month by 
that of her infant son, which had been born on the 12th 
February. Her removal, besides exciting the preju- 
dices of the natives, was a great loss to the mission. 

Mr. Paton too was severely tried by sickness. Be- 
fore the 26th May, he had had six attacks of fever and 
ague, by which he was much broken down both in body 
and mind. 

In Mr. Matheson's case the result of a few months' 
labours proved the wisdom of the missionaries pre- 
viously in the field, in discountenancing his attempting 
such a work in the state of his health. He did what 
few men could have done in the state in which he was, 
and what even very few would have thought of attempt- 
ing. But his exertions were far beyond his strength. 
" The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak." The 
result was that by the month of March he was entirely 
laid aside from duty by severe illness. We need not 
say how much Mrs. M.'s labours and trials were in- 
creased by this event. As long as possible she en- 
deavoured to keep the missionary work moving on, but 
soon his situation required all her care. Writing after 
her removal from the island, she says : " The anxiety 
and watching alone with Mr. M. told a little upon me 
after I came here ; but I was wonderfully supported, 
and never for one moment supposed that I could have 
borne what I did." 

What she must have endured at this time she never 
told her friends. She only alludes to them in such sen- 
tences as the above. Her diary during this period of 
her life she destroyed. So that her trials cannot now 



FIRST RESIDENCE ON TANNA. 396 

be recorded, and will never be known on earth. But 
her record is on high. 

At the close of the hurricane season, which lasts from 
the end of December till the first of April, Messrs. 
Geddie and Inglis, having heard of the condition of 
Mr. M., proceeded in the John Knox to Tanna. They 
were surprised at what he had been able to accomplish, 
while his health was so feeble. But they felt con- 
strained to urge his immediate removal to Aneiteum. 
In this proposal Mr. M. felt himself necessitated to 
concur. 

At a meeting of the missionaries held after their ar- 
rival, the following resolution was adopted : 

" That they recognize with thankfulness the progress 
of the mission at Mr. Matheson's station — a commodious 
place of worship has been erected, and extensive im- 
provements have been effected on the mission premises, 
the attendance upon the public worship is highly en- 
couraging and a desire for education is beginning to 
appear ; that while they see the great need of Mr. and 
Mrs. Matheson's presence to carry forward the work, 
yet they are fully of opinion that the state of Mr. 
Matheson's health for the last month renders a visit to 
Aneiteum immediately indispensably necessary, that 
they sympathize deeply with him and also with Mrs. 
Matheson on account of his health, and their prayer on 
his behalf is, that the Lord may abundantly sanctify to 
him this trying dispensation of his providence, and 
speedily if it be his holy will, restore him to his wonted 
health and strength." 

Regarding his removal Mr. M. thus wrote afterward : 



396 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

' ' I need not tell you that leaving our much-loved station upon 
Tanna, was to us both a very sore trial. During the six months 
that we were permitted to labour there, we became very much 
attached to the natives, and many of them apparently so to us ; 
and we had entertained the hope of being instrumental in the 
hand of God in doing something for that poor and degraded, 
though deeply interesting people. Our hopes have however 
been blasted for the present, and how long they may continue 
so, we know not ; only of this we are assured, that Grod reigneth, 
and that if it be for the promotion of his glory that we ever be 
privileged to return to the scene of our former labours, he will 
so overrule in his own good time and way ; meanwhile, we would 
patiently wait the dealings of God towards us, remembering 
that health and sickness are his agents — that he saith to the 
one, go and it goeth ; to the other come, and it cometh ; there- 
fore, instead of murmuring or repining at the aJGB.ictive dispen- 
sations of God, we would rather endeavour to trace in them 
the hand of a kind Father, and in doing so, we cannot fail to 
discover wisdom and goodness in all his ways of dealing !" 

Mrs. M. writes in a similar strain : 

' ' We felt very sad at having to leave our station. I had be- 
come very much attached to many of the natives, and especially 
to some young women, who came very often to see me ; and two 
or three of them built little houses outside the yard, that (as 
they said) they might be near me. They could sew, almost 
knew the alphabet, and could sing very nicely two Tannese, and 
a number of Aneiteumese hymns, also part of an English one. 
Our Sabbath meetings were in general well attended, and before 
we left, the number seemed on the increase. After Mr. Mathe- 
son became ill, many of them left off attending church, and be- 
came very distant toward us. They are very superstitious, and 
fancy when they are ill, that some person must have caused 
their sickness." 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 397 



CHAPTER VI. 

nESIDEXCE ON AJ^JEITETTM. 

On the removal of Mr. and Mrs. Matheson to Anei- 
teum, they spent some weeks at Anelicauhat, Mr. Ged- 
des' station on the south side of the island, and at 
Aname, Mr. Inglis' on the north. Here they received 
every kindness. Every thing in the power of these de- 
voted brethren and their wives was done for the relief 
and comfort of Mr. M. Dr. McGillivray, of H. B. M. 
surveying service, then on the island, employed all his 
medical skill for his relief, but gave but slight hope of 
his ultimate recovery. In fact it was thought by every 
person but himself, that he could not live any time, and 
that now it only remained for her to smooth his dying 
pillow and minister to his dying wants. She did not 
however fully inform her friends of his condition, as he 
felt so differently, and was unwilling that she should let 
their friends think him in a dangerous condition. She 
tried therefore to hope for the best, and endeavoured to 
maintain cheerfulness before him, and to cast her cares 
upon her heavenly Father. Thus she writes under 

date 22d June. 

June 22, 1859. 

TO HER MOTHER. 

'* I wrote you about a month since that we had leftTanna, and 
come to Aneiteum, on account of Mr. M.'s health, and I would 
34 



398 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

have had a letter ready now, but that I really could not tell you 
anything definite regarding him. His illness upon Tanna has 
left him weak, but he has little or no cough ; and does not suffer 
so much pain as formerly. What reason we have for thankfulness, 
dear mamma. We have met with so much attention and kind- 
ness since we left home. Mrs. Inglis is almost like a mother to 
me, and Mr. M. wants for nothing. 

"And now I must tell you about myself. I am well, dear 
mamma, and try always to appear cheerful and in good spirits, 
I feel as young and full of life as ever. I know that I am in a 
Father's hand ! and that nothing can befall me, of which he is 
not aware ! Health and sickness are both in his hand ! 

" Mr. Matheson's health has been much benefited by our re- 
moval to Aneiteum, and I am very well, for which I feel very 
thankful. I have indeed been signally blessed ; for even a strong 
person might not have borne the anxiety and trouble I have had. 
But Grod tempers the wind to the shorn lamb ! and he will not 
suffer us to be troubled beyond what we are able to bear ! 

" Oh ! I am always with you all, yet happy here ! What a 
delightful religion is ours ! One can be happy here, under any 
circumstances, and live in the glorious hope of happiness bej^ond 
the grave ! Oh, that we all may meet in that better land, where 
there are no partings ! " 

We subjoin a few extracts from her diary, at this 
time, commencing May 19, from which date it has hap- 
pily been preserved. 

" May 19. How often have I this day resolved that I will en- 
deavour not to offend in word or thought ; and oh, how often 
liave I broken that resolution ! Heavenly Saviour ! let all my 
hopes and desires be centered around thy cross ! Oh, righteous 
Father ! help me to search and examine mj^self — fit and prepare 
me, Grod ! for all that is before me in life ! Let me never 
swerve from the path of duty — may my aim and motive ever be 
— the glory of God ! and the good of my own soul ! 

"21. Oh, how sad to think that I have never done anj^thing 
for my Saviour ! who has done so much for me ! I have felt 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 399 

our removal from Tanna. My heart yearns over that poor pe- 
rishing people ! Jesus ! thou knowest that I have desired to 
do something for thy glory — to win souls to thee ! Worthless, 
miserable as I am, cut me not down as a cumberer of the ground ! 
Oh, remove me not hence, until I have done something in thy 
service ! Let this affliction which thou art measuring out to me, 
be sanctified to my soul ! Forbid, Grod ! that it should be the 
means of hardening my heart, or driving me from thee ! Oh ! 
Christ Jesus, my Lord ! reveal thyself in all thy native beauty 
and loveliness ! 

" 23. All day my mind has been distressed and harassed be- 
yond measure, on account of my sins — past and present. I know 
that I was light and trifling, and often acted foolishly. But oh, 
if Jesus be mine ! and I am his ! my past sins are cancelled. 
Hear the word of the Lord ! ' Come now and let us reason to- 
gether, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as 
snow!' glorious Saviour! let me look out of self, look into 
thee I Shine into my heart, Jesus ! and dispel the cloud of 
darkness which has so long brooded over my mind. Oh, in thy 
Hght may I be enabled to see clearly ! Keep me, my Father I 
from vain imaginings, from prying into the mystic future ! 

"Yesterday, what a sweet nearness I had to Jesus, at the 
funeral of that little native girl. Oh, I felt almost sure that my 
title to heaven was clear! I felt the awfulness of sin, the 
boundless love of the Father, in sending his only-begotten and 
well-beloved Son into this lower world ! Oh, to serve him ! to 
live every moment enjoying a sweet sense of his presence ! Woe 
is me, for I am undone. Well may I cry out, My leanness, my 
leanness ! 

' ' 30. Not well this morning. Have very bad cold in my 
head and chest. How much have I to remind me that I am 
mortal. Yet how seldom does the thought occur to me. One 
after another is passing away, and I too, alas! must die! I 
know not whether I may live to grow old, or whether I may be 
cut down in youth. Grrant, Lord ! that I may be prepared to 
meet thee in death, judgment, and eternity ! 

" 3L Mr. M. is very weak to-day. He fancies himself better. 



400 MEMOIR or MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

He is in reality very poorly. May he enjoy mucli sweet conso- 
lation. 

' ' Lathella brought me a pretty piece of coral yesterday — can 
quietly admire, but not go into raptures over anything like this. 
Can only be still and wonder at the greatness of that God who 
created all things, and for whose pleasure they are and they were 
created. 

" Aname, June 13. Monday. Came round to this side of the 
island last Wednesday, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Inglis and 
Mr. Paton. My cough is still troublesome, but I have received 
every kindness and attention since I came here. Had anything 
been done for me before — ^but I will not reflect. I am in the 
hands of a merciful Father, who doth not afflict willingly, nor 
grieve the children of men. Oh, to confide in him — ^to lean 
upon my Jesus, my Saviour ! 

"14. Fine day, though cool. My cough much better. Mr. 
M. to-day and yesterday attacked with ague very severely. I 
have been glancing over the memoir of Sir Andrew Agnew. 
Oh, that I might be enabled boldly to make known my Master's 
cause ! Notwithstanding the odium which he incurred, he was 
not ashamed of Christ, but went about doing good. 

"17. I desire, while I remain here, and ever, and would re- 
solve in the strength of Jesus, (not in mine own,) to endeavour 
to rise early, to wash and dress quickly, to spend a part of the 
morning in reading a chapter or more in my Bible, and a Psalm, 
hymn, or paraphrase; to endeavour to read with the under- 
standing, to regulate my work so that one duty may not come 
upon the heels of another, not to forget my daily walk, to read 
and pray in the evening, and give a few moments at twihght to 
serious thought and meditation, and never to give way to levity, 
to which I am habitually prone. This I desire, but cannot, of 
myself, perform, nor have the slightest inclination to perform. 
Almighty Grod, have mercy upon me, and incline my heart to 
walk in thy ways. 

' ' How I long to be at work ! I would love to be engaged in 
the service of my Jesus, my Saviour. Grod, give me strength 
to bear up under trials and discouragements — to feel that my 
ways are ordered by thee — that there is no temptation I endure, 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 401 

no trial witli whicli I am afflicted, but all is known to thoe ! I 
desire to feel that my post now is by the side of my husband , to 
wait upon him faithfully, patiently, and cheerfully, and to do 
all in my power to promote his happiness and comfort. May I 
not be anxious about him or myself, feeling that we are in a 
Father's hand, that he will provide. 

"22. Wrote a few hurried lines home this morning. How my 
heart turns homeward. Yet wherever my heavenly Father has 
appointed my lot, there do I desire to dwell. Oh, for grace to 
serve thee aright ! 

' ' I long to talk with some one of Jesus. I do not see why 
among professing Christians, religion should not be made a sub- 
ject of conversation. Oh to have my speech ever with grace ! 

" How important that my converse should be such as becom- 
etli the gospel of G-od. I know that often when I come to pre- 
pare for bed, the conversation of the day, and particularly of the 
evening, runs through my mind, and leads away my thoughts. 
Oh traitor heart ! When shall I be enabled to have a strict 
watch over thee ? 

' ' 23. Oh for a continual nearness to Jesus ! At times I think 
I am a Christian, at other times I am doubtful. When I was 
ill, rather more than two years ago I fancied I was a Christian. 
Had I died then, would I have gone to heaven ? That is a ques- 
tion I cannot answer, whether it is that as I grow older I am 
gaining more knowledge, and have more enlightened views upon 
different subjects I know not ; but one thing I know, I look more 
out of self. I feel that I can do nothing, and cast myself entirely 
upon Jesus. 

"24. I am overwhelmed when I think of Grod's mercies to me. 
How ungrateful should I be, to repine or even look unhappy. 
My poor little Tannese girls ! Who will lead you in the way of 
life? Who will tell you of Jesus? Send forth, God, by the 
hand of him whom thou wilt send. 

"25. The close of another week approaching and can I look 
back, and say that I have done any thing to benefit others, and 
glorify my Father who is in heaven ? Holy Father, I desire to be 
happy and contented in the sphere in which I am now placed, 
and oh that I might prove a blessing to myself and others, though 
34* 



402 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

far removed from active usefulness ! Oh may I not be idle, but 
may I strive to gain wisdom and knowledge — to die unto sin — to 
grow in grace ! I feel that Grod can be glorified in bearing as 
well as doing. And oh, perhaps by this he is fitting me for en- 
larged usefulness ! 

"27. Enjoyed a sweet, delightful Sabbath yesterday, reading 
Henry's Commentary on the Beatitudes, in the evening Guthrie's 
Grospel in Ezekiel, and sang Martyrdom to the 130th Psalm. At 
worship I felt excited in singing those beautiful lines, ' Lord, 
who shall stand, if thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquity. ' Lord, 
take if thou wilt, this weak vacillating heart, do with me what 
thou wilt, form me for thyself, fit me for thy glory. I do think 
that I am a Christian, if that means loving Jesus, and I look to 
him to keep me from falling, for, of myself I can do nothing. 

"30. Lovely day, and very hot. Enjoyed an exceedingly 
pleasant walk in the evening. Mr. P. left for Tanna. He is 
very disconsolate. May Jesus speak peace to his soul — may he 
pour the oil of consolation into the troubled bosom, for thou, 
Jesus, only canst ! 

' ' Lovely still evening, clear but not moonlight, innumerable 
hosts of stars visible. Sat gazing at them, and wondering if it 
were not presumption in me to call Jehovah, the creator of all 
these bright beautiful worlds, my Father. Notwithstanding the 
great moral distance which separates between a holy Grod, and 
a vile worm of the dust, I can, through Jesus, say ' Verily thou 
art my father, though Abraham be ignorant of me, and Israel 
acknowledge me not.' 

"Julyl. Oh home! Nova Scotia in this exquisite month. 
There seems to be no such word as home with me now. Oh 
that I could ever bear in mind that my home is not in this world ! 
Oh for a title to the heavenly inheritance ! Let me think of my 
mercies. Here am I at Aname, surrounded by every comfort. 
It is one of those still lovely evenings. All nature is exquisite! 
and dead is the heart that could merely stand as a beholder, 
without some thoughts of nature's Grod. Mr. Matheson is very 
weak, and my heart a little desponding, foreboding a trial. ' I 
have refined thee, but not as silver. I have chosen thee in the 
furnace of affliction. ' 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 408 

•» 

" 2. This is Saturday evening, and I scarcely dare allow myself 
to think of home. We were always so happy, even in the most 
trying and dark hours. Why is it given to such a mortal ever 
to enjoy as much happiness here? Were there no sin, there 
would be no sorrow. Oh to mourn truly for sin, and to hate it, 
and to flee from every appearance of it ! 

"3. Sabbath. To-day at times happy, at times wandering 
and unsettled. Questions for self-examination. Is it my sincere 
desire to overcome all sin ? Have I given my undivided heart 
to Jesus, or has the world a portion ? Do I roll any sin as a 
sweet morsel under my tongue, or am I trying to overcome every 
besetting sin ? What are my besetting sins ? Is my religion a 
practical one ? Does it influence my conduct in every day life ? 
Have I a very lowly and humble opinion of myself? And do I 
esteem every one better ? Am I growing in grace, or retrograd- 
ing? Am I desirous that all should come to Christ? And am 
I striving to win souls by my conversation, example, &c., or on 
the contrary, do I manifest a perfect indifference, and care not 
to show to the world that there is something glorious, noble, 
soul-satisfying in religion ? Can I answer these questions in the 
affirmative ? Grod, thou knowest, ' search me, and know my 
heart.' Reading Henry's Commentary on 1 Cor. xi. 

"5. I often wonder if there is any selfishness in me, (which I 
know there must be, ) and wherein do I display it. Something 
in my heart tells me that I hate to see it in others. It is more 
blessed to give than to receive. Oh, what a happy world if 
there were no selfish persons ! Selfishness is sin, and sin has 
been, and ever will be, the foundation of unhappiness. 

"If my silly, wandering thoughts might be brought under 
command, I might pass solitary moments much more happily 
and profitably. I think my whole heart's desire is to live to the 
glory of Grod, and to benefit myself and others ; but ' the heart 
is deceitful and desperately wicked.' Who, indeed, can know 
it? 

"9. Saturday. Fine and cool. Purposing (Grod willing) to 
commemorate the dying love of Jesus. I desire to be suitably 
impressed with the awfulness of sin, and that there is no sin tri- 
fling. How awful must it be in the eyes of a perfectly pure and 



404 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

holy Grod! Oh, for a perfectly pure heart! Oh, that I could 
keep my heart with diligence, remembering that out of it are 
the issues of life ! May I be kept from a froward mouth ! Oh, 
for a nearness to Jesus ! May the coming day be to me a sweet 
and refreshing time from the presence of the Lord ! 

"To refrain, that is, to bridle back the lips, is an exercise 
hard and healthful to our spirits. It requires some practice to 
make one skilful in it. It is easier and more natural, when one 
is full of emotions, to open the sluices and let the whole gush 
forth in an impetuous stream of words. It is easy, but it is not 
right. It is pleasant to nature, but it is offensive to Grod, and 
hurtful to men. You must consider well and pull the bridle 
hard, and permit no proud or false words to pass the barrier of 
the lips. Strangle the evil thoughts as they are coming to the 
birth, that the spirit which troubled you within may not go 
forth embodied to trouble also the world. 

"Behold the mutual relations of faith and love, of trust in 
Jesus the Saviour, and active effort for the good of men. Get- 
ting much from him, you will feel the necessity of giving to 
others. Griving much to others, you will experience more the 
necessity of drawing ever fresh supplies from the fountain head. 
They who abide in Christ will experience a sweet necessity of 
doing good to men. They who really try to do good to men, 
will be compelled to abide in Christ, as a branch abides in the 
vine. 

"I desire, if spared to return to Anelicauhat to keep my 
mouth as with a bridle — to check all undue levity within myself, 
and to discourage it in others, to go straight-forward, looking unto 
Jesus ! — to keep down if possible all vain, silly wandering 
thoughts. I desire also to exercise self-denial, to repress all 
uncharitable thoughts, to esteem every one better than myself, 
and if I see failings in others, to remember that mine are legion, 
and that by the grace of Grod, I am what I am ! 

"11. How can I repay them, (Mr. and Mrs. I.) for their dis- 
interested kindness to me? Truly, Grod has raised up these 
friends for us. And he alone can reward them for all they have 
done. My visit here will ever remain as a bright spot on my 
memory. 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 405 

" Anelicauhat, 14. It is decided that we go to Umetch. Let 
us not be too much elated. Man proposeth, but Grod disposeth. 
I will have many difficulties and trials to contend with, but wait- 
ing upon Jesus, I can bear all things through Christ strength- 
ening me. I have no comfort in looking to mj'^self. I am a poor 
helpless creature. Hold up my goings, then only shall I be safe. 

"16. Unsettled and excitable. ' All unrighteousness is sin !' 
' Whosoever is born of Grod doth not commit sin. ' 

' ' My disposition is naturally light. The spirit is willing, but 
the flesh is weak. blessed Saviour ! restrain within me all 
that is evil, let me not think in my heart, what I would not ex- 
press in public, or ever do what would bring dishonour on thy 
holy name ! 

"20. Cold, dull, wet day. Spirits a little depressed. How 
much have I to be thankful for. Many this day are upon beds 
of languishing, many withering under disappointment. Here 
am I surrounded by kind friends, and by every comfort and 
blessing which I could desire, and in prospect soon to be actively 
engaged. Oh, if this heart were but clean and pure ! Lord, 
purge away the dross ; blot my sins I pray thee, out of the 
book of thy remembrance ! Oh, may I be covered with the robe 
of my Redeemer's righteousness, that my spiritual nakedness 
may not appear ! ' ' 

In a short time after his removal to Aneiteum, Mr. M.'s 
health began to improve. Large abscesses formed on 
the back of his head and neck, which for a time affected 
his brain. He lost his hearing, and his memory to a 
great extent, and probably his other mental powers were 
affected. But they had the effect for a time of arrest- 
ing his pulmonary complaint, and helped to bring about 
a revival of his health. By the month of August he 
felt so much better that he was anxious to return to his 
station on Tanna. He was however far from being re- 
stored. He was only able to move about, and a little 
exertion laid him up. A meeting of the missionaries 



406 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

was held on the 30th of August, at which, the following 
resolution was adopted : 

"An application was made by Mr. Matheson, that he might 
return to his station on Tanna, but after mature deliberation, 
and after consulting with the surgeon of H. M. S. 'Cordelia,' 
lying at present in the harbour, it was resolved, That Mr. Ma- 
theson' s application cannot be granted ; as to do so in the pre- 
sent state of his health would be unkind to himself, and to Mrs. 
Matheson, and injurious to the mission." 

To this resolution Mr. M. could not become reconciled. 
The flattering nature of his disease led him to indulge 
in too favourable views of his strength. His disease 
began to affect his spirits and temper. He became al- 
most angry at any reference to his ill health, and for a 
time he even became alienated from his brethren. 

As he was however anxious to be employed it was ar- 
ranged that ke should take charge of an outstation of 
Mr. Geddie's at Umetch, where a Samoan teacher was 
engaged. It was considered one of the healthiest spots 
on the island. The labour would not be severe ; it would 
be among a people who had renounced heathenism ; thus 
his sickness would not produce the unfavourable impres- 
sion that it did among the Tannese, and he would have 
sufficient work for his strength. Of his employment 
here he thus wrote : " About the middle of July, by the 
blessing of God, I began to gain strength, and fondly 
hoped that we might soon be permitted to resume our 
labours among those for whose spiritual welfare we 
would gladly spend and be spent. In August I intended 
to have returned, but the brethren here who are better 
acquainted with the nature of the climate and also of 
the difficulties to be encountered upon a heathen island, 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 407 

thought that such a step would be very injudicious, es- 
pecially as we may be as usefully employed here as at 
our own station. We are now living in a village called 
(Umej) Umetch, where Simeona the Samoan teacher re- 
sided. We will probably remain here until after the 
rainy season. We have also two Tannese lads living 
with us, from whom we are endeavouring to acquire a 
knowledge of their language, in order that we may be 
the better prepared for communicating knowledge if 
spared to return. 

"The Samoan teacher conducts school at this station 
every morning, (Saturday excepted), or rather family 
worship, as the exercises consist simply of praise, prayer, 
and the reading of a chapter. In the afternoon we have 
school four days in the week. On Wednesday prayer- 
meetings, and Saturday the natives consider as their 
own day. In the forenoon they gather food and wood 
for the Sabbath, and in the afternoon prepare their 
food; thus avoiding all cooking upon the Sabbath-day." 

From Mrs. Matheson's disposition, she was disposed 
to be happy any where. But there were circumstances 
which rendered her residence on Aneiteum specially 
pleasant. She was among a people reclaimed from hea- 
thenism, where she saw the most pleasing evidences of 
the power of the gospel. She was near kind friends 
and relatives. To one who had been for a time shut 
out from all Christian society, and who was naturally 
affectionate and social in her disposition, intercourse 
with them afforded double pleasure. Particularly did 
she enjoy the society of her uncle's family, his eldest 
daughter being near her own age, and their minds and 
characters being very congenial. Her time too was not 



408 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHBSON. 

SO largely occupied, but what she could find some time 
for reading and promoting her mental improvement. 

But her heart was in missionary work. She felt ab- 
sence from their own station to be a severe trial. She 
endeavoured to submit to it cheerfully. But still it was 
a trial, and particularly from the cause of it, the state 
of Mr. M.'s health. "It is a very great trial to us," 
she wrote to her mother, "to be away from our own 
station. We endeavour to do what we can here, but 
it is not to be expected that we can feel as much at home 
in the field of another missionary, or have the same in- 
tense interest in the natives, as those natives are in a 
measure civilized ; nor do they in you. They very 
naturally have a warm affection for the missionary, who 
has been the means in the hands of God, of raising 
them from their former degraded condition, to that 
which they now enjoy. We try, however, to be happy 
and contented here, as we have our friends near, which 
is a comfort, and they have been exceedingly kind to 
us." 

Providence, however, having cast her lot for the time 
here, she endeavoured faithfully to carry on the work at 
Umetch, in the first place waiting tenderly on Mr. M., 
but endeavouring also to carry on efficiently missionary 
work among the natives. In a letter to her mother she 
gives the following account of her daily employments : 

" I know you would like to know how I am engaged. 
Well I ha^ve a number of women, who come in the fore- 
noon to learn to sew, and I cut out and tack their gar- 
ments for them, said garments being short gowns, set 
in with a yoke at the neck, like a night-gown. In the 
afternoon I go to school, where about forty men and 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 409 

women attend ; and assisted by the Samoan teacher 
who has been placed here for some time, teach reading, 
cyphering and counting. Of course I cannot do much, 
not being thoroughly acquainted with the language. 
Pray, dear M., that I may have strength and wisdom 
given me from on high, and that I may be willing to 
labour any where, and to suffer if called to it. Mr. 
M.'s continued weakness has been a very great draw- 
back. I have been in almost constant attendance upon 
him. He is now much better." 

The following extracts from her correspondence will 
afford additional information regarding her stay here : 

TO HER MOTHER. 

Aneiteum, August 2, 1859. 

' ' What a treat your letters were ! How eagerly devoured ! 
read, and re-read. They contained intelligence both joyful and 
sad. I need not say, that I was surprised at the number of 
deaths, for I have learned to take different views of life. And, 
indeed, I am only surprised, when I think of the climate that 
any body lives in Pictou. Notwithstanding, I long for one of 
your lovely summer evenings. Twilight is a lovely hour here, 
but it is not safe to go out and enjoy it. 

"We are now at Umetch, one of uncle's out-stations, where he 
has a nice little lime-house for his own use. It is allowed to be 
the most healthy place on the island, and there is a large field 
for usefulness. I cannot be as useful as I should like, on ac- 
count of the delicate state of Mr. Matheson's health. I feel 
that my first duty is to attend upon him. Sometimes he rallies, 
and seems quite well, and then he has attacks of his old com- 
plaint, not very severe, and he does not seem to suffer much. 
He has had every kindness and attention shown him both by 
uncle and Mr. Inglis. 

"Do not ever be uneasy about me, my dear mamma, for I am 
well and strong, subject to hoarseness and sore throat, and re- 
85 



410 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

quire to be careful, but in other respects, I never enjoyed better 
health. Only think I shall soon be two years from home. It 
does seem a long, long time, and yet what a wanderer I have 
been. Do not think of me as far away from you. I am always 
near hand, and water only separates our bodies, not our hearts. 

' I am very happy since we came to Umetch. It is a wild- 
looking place by the sea -side, and behind us high hills tower up, 
clouds often resting upon them. The mission premises stand 
on a level plain, with here and there a plantation and groves of 
cocoanut trees. And the sea dashes against the reef with such 
violence, causing a continual sound, sometimes like thunder. 

" What a solemn warning P. 's death is to all young persons ! 
When I left she looked so healthy. Dear C. wrote me from 
Halifax. Is she not a faithful friend ? In this cold world there 
are few like her. I feel when I wander in the woods gathering 
lovely flowers, and see the immense trees covered with creepers 
and other plants, how she would enjoy it, and feel as if I could 
not admire alone. I trust that time will not efface the friend- 
ship so happily begun here, and we know that if not here, here- 
after we shall again meet in that bright and happy world where 
no separations ever can come, and where there will be nothing 
to mar the joys of friendship. 

" I find it very difficult to write home. Life and every thing 
out here is so different to what it is at home, and little things 
that might interest you are so common that we never think of 
mentioning them. 

" I am succeeding with the Aneiteumese language, which can 
only be acquired by intercourse with the people ; and you may 
imagine so, as I have no person to talk with in English but Mr. 
M. I know your mind would be easy if you knew that we were 
to remain on Aneiteum during the next rainy season. Of that 
I cannot assure you at present. It remains to be decided. Mr. 
M. is very anxious to go. I trust^all will be ordered for the best. 
If we could ever feel that we are in a Father's hand, and looking 
to him for support and direction, we might be enabled to say, 
He doeth all things well. 

" We had a visit from Bishop Selwyn, of New Zealand. You 
cannot think what a dear old gentleman he is, — tall and digni- 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM, 411 

fied, and so fatherly. When I was going into the room, he ad- 
vanced to meet me, and kept hold of my hands for a long time, 
and made me sit beside him on the sofa. He was accompanied 
by Mr. Pattison, a young man who is of very high family and 
highly educated, but who has given up all to come out here and 
teach the poor heathen. The bishop's vessel is called the 
' Southern Cross, ' and he visits a great number of islands. He 
tak^s some natives from each island, and endeavours to teach 
them English. Of course we think his plan not a good one, but 
he thinks differently. It is of no use to teach the natives Eng- 
lish. The only way is to learn their language, and in the end 
it is the quickest way. ' ' 

TO HER MOTHER. 

'"'' Atieitewm^ Oct. 8. 
" You can imagine how delighted I was to receive your letter, 
which came by the John Williams. There is a little vessel lying 
here, bound for China, and I hurriedly write a few lines to send 
by her. The John Williams brought two missionaries and their 
wives for Lifu. She is to sail upon Monday, and return in two 
or three weeks on her homeward voyage. I shall miss dear C. 
and the children very much. We expect to remain at Umetch 
during the rainy season. Mr. Matheson's health has improved, 
and since we have decided to remain, he has seemed quite happy 
and contented. C. came over to Umetch to spend a few days 
with me ; and when the J. W. was signalized, uncle immediately 
sent over for us. Mr. Matheson rode on the horse, and the na- 
tives constructed a sedan chair for C. and me to walk and be 
carried by turns. Part of our way lay over the hills, and part 
along the shore, over immense rocks, so that when I arrived 
here my feet were hanging out of my shoes. We feel deeply 
for Mr. Pa ton, situated as he is upon Tanna. He is labouring 
alone there, but cannot be induced to leave. He is now prepar- 
ing to build his house in a more elevated situation, as where he 
is living at present is not considered healthy. We think very 
much about our Tannese friends. Our station seemed a very 
promising one. I cannot say what effect our leaving may pro- 



412 MEMOIR OF ME. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

duce. We know that God will make that people ' willing in the 
day of his power, ' in the set time which he has appointed. 

' ' I had recent letters from Mrs. Creagh. She is a very amia- 
ble person, and writes me such affectionate letters. It is plea- 
sant to have some person out here (where we are in a measure 
cut off from society) to love and take an interest in one. I think 
many persons at home have an idea, that because we are all in 
the South Pacific, we must be very near each other — forgetting 
that the ocean rolls between us and our friends here, as well as 
between us and home. Our communication by letter is not at 
all frequent. Oh, my dear mamma, do not think that because 
I am away from you I think less about you all, or take less in- 
terest in you ! It is the very reverse, ' Absence makes the 
heart grow fonder, ' and I have magnifi.ed you into a set of per- 
fect beings, and think that there is no home like mine. My in- 
terest in you deepens every day, and were I to sit and think 
about you, it would unfit me for work. Believe me, at times I 
almost try to forget you as much as possible ; but I am very 
happy, and never happier than when busily engaged. 

' ' I have done very little real missionary work, but I must be 
patient. These trials are sent for some object. It is much 
easier, we know, to work than to suffer. We must wait Grod's 
time, and do the work he has appointed us. 

" We had a visit lately from H. M. S. Cordelia. This being 
a good harbour, and the natives civilized, we have longer visits, 
and more frequent, from large vessels, than any other harbour. 
Our situation upon Tanna was a very beautiful, but a very lonely 
and isolated one, as we had only a boat harbour, and foreigners 
Were afraid to land, it being quite unsafe. ' ' 

We subjoin extracts from Mrs. M.'s diary while resi- 
dent at Umetch : 

" July 27. Here I find myself comfortably seated in my little 
cottage, in this wild, romantic-looking place. I desire while 
here to devote myself as much as possible to the natives. Oh, 
may the blessing of Grod rest upon me, else all I attempt will be 
vain and fruitless ! 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 413 

*'28. Happy day. Commenced afternoon school. Josa ar- 
rived. Running about so much I have very httle time, and al- 
most very little inclination to sit and read. I think this a wildly 
beautiful place, the- natives all very kind, and we enjoying every 
comfort. Holy Spirit, inscribe upon my heart the law of grati- 
tude for all thy love and mercy, O Grod, toward me, an unde- 
serving rebel ! 

"Aug. 1. About twenty women came to the sewing class. In 
the afternoon at school about twenty women and forty-three 
males. Mr. M. poorly and not able to attend. How can I be 
sufficiently grateful to my heavenly Father for the health and 
strength which he has so mercifully granted to me ? I pray that 
it may be consecrated to his service. 

' ' 2. Busy to-day — not had my usual time for reading. I have 
ever placed my standard of female excellence very high, but have 
I in earnest aimed at it ? Truly I have fallen far, far short of 
it. I want firmness and decision of character. I am too ready 
to yield to the tempter. I do not think so vile a creature walks 
the earth — vile because I know what is right and do it not. Oh, 
for grace and strength to overcome ! 

"4. I am very happy in ' My Valley Home.' I thank thee, 
oh, my Father in heaven, that thou hast given me a heart to 
enjoy all thy blessings ! Watched the spray dash this morning 
with much violence against the reef. Waters look dark and an- 
gry this morning — the hills bleak and capped with clouds, alto- 
gether forming a perfect picture of wildness. Why is it that in 
my happiest moments there is a tinge of sadness ? also when I 
hear fine music, or gaze at the stars, the water, or anything 
beautiful? Surely it is because my heart is so impure. It im- 
plies a want of perfection. 

" 5. I think I am beginning to see more of my own heart, to 
feel more the awfulness of sin. I fear I have only given my 
Saviour a divided heart. I desire to keep a faithful account of 
my heart in this diary, and oh, may I think, do, or say nothing, 
which I should be ashamed to record here ! Weather still 
gloomy, cold, and wet; 'but some days must be dark and 
dreary,' and brighter days will come to my soul also. I trust 

35* 



414 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

this cloud will have a silver lining. Could I but ' pray without 
ceasing ! ' 

"I desire to overcome this restive unquiet spirit, also this 
melancholy and sadness that often steal over my spirit, and 
while it pleases my heavenly Father to appoint my lot in this 
place, to do whatsoever my hand findeth to do. And oh, while 
I endeavour to teach others, may I myself be taught of Grod, lest 
in that day I be found a castaway ! 

" 6. Hoped to spend a long evening in reading the holy Scrip- 
tures and in meditation. I thank thee, most holy Father, that 
I have come to this place, and oh, if here I be awakened to a 
sense of duty and in this solitary place I be brought to know 
more of my own heart, and become better fitted to combat with 
the world, the flesh, and the devil, it will be a theme for nevei 
ending praise and thanksgiving ! I wish always to spend Sa 
turday evening in preparation for the Sabbath, and to spend 
Sabbath twilight in prayer. I have often enjoyed sweet mo- 
ments then. 

" Find in looking back to this diary, that I have many long- 
ings to overcome, but, (and I blush to own it,) I have not strug- 
gled, striven. I know of myself I cannot, but I desire to keep 
from this time forth a continual warfare with the corruptions of 
my heart, that they may never gain the ascendency. 

" 7. Sabbath evening, trusted and hoped to have a long twi- 
light, to spend in meditation and prayer, but had many inter- 
ruptions. I find I must be very watchful over myself, lest I 
should grow impatient, if I do not have all the time I should 
like for myself. I desire to have a living religion, warm, fervent 
piety in the heart, that will influence my daily conduct. I 
heartily wish to be delivered from an unquiet spirit — a carving 
out or planning ways for myself. All that is before me is known 
to my heavenly Father ; and could I but cast myself entirely 
upon his care, who has guided and sustained me hitherto, all 
would be well. 

' ' 8. Showery to-day, cold this evening. Every thing becomes 
monotonous here, and we move on day after day, as if there 
should be no end of time with us, and I find that anything out 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 415 

of the usual way excites me and makes me unsteady. Oh, for 
equanimity of disposition 1 

" 9. Grleams of sunshine to-day amid the storm and rain. Oh, 
that I could live in the present, not in dreaming of the past or 
planning for the future, remembering . the moments which are 
flitting by can never be recalled, and that for every one I musi 
at last render a solemn account ! Would that I might be grow- 
ing hourly (daily is too slow) in grace. When will I ever arrive 
at perfection ? And now unto Him who is able to keep me from 
falling, and to present me faultless before the presence of his 
glory with exceeding joy, I commit myself, consecrating my 
all to him. desiring none but Christ, to know no will but his, 
and to go on daily striving against those inward corruptions, 
this depraved heart, until I shall come off conqueror through 
him that loved me, and gave himself for me. What if at last I 
should be found a castaway ! Awful thought ! Grreat Grod 
forbid. For the last week my sins have pressed heavily upon 
me, and all seemed doubt and darkness. Have a little more 
light to-day. Would that the flame of his love might penetrate 
this stony heart. 

"10. Took a walk this afternoon, for tbe first time since I 
came here, inland; ascended part of the way up the hill. En- 
joyed the scene, and came running and tumbling down. Thought 
much to-day of the depravity of my heart ; feel almost dis- 
couraged. This is wrong. I must stmggle away and look to 
Christ for the issue, feeling that I myself can do nothing. I 
have much, much to overcome. I would have a heart burning 
with love to Christ. I want to have within myself a sweet sense 
of pardon. I want to love all men, to desire that all might be 
saved, and to do all in my power to advance the kingdom of 
Christ. 

"13. At the close of another week I desire to ponder the path 
of my feet. My spirits are sadly depressed just now ; partly on 
account of my sins, my constantly yielding like a slender reed 
before the blast of temptation, and also the time is fast ap- 
proaching when the John Williams will call here on her home- 
ward voyage. Mr. M. , too, is weak and poorly. I know it is 
wrong to despond, very wrong. Oh, my Father, teach me to 



416 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

live in the present, to be up and doing ! May my spirits not flag ; 
may I neither faint nor grow weary but press onward. Had a 
dehghtful walk upon the top of the hill this afternoon. The 
plain below looked quiet and pretty, and the high hills rising up 
all around as if protecting it, and the sea sparkling and looking 
such an intense blue. It was truly a sweet picture, and has en- 
deared my heart more to Umetch. I sat upon a rock and sang, 
' ' Jesus, lover of my soul, ' ' but the heart was not entirely swal- 
lowed up in the lovely scene, nor did it burn with pure love to 
that Saviour, who came to redeem a fallen world. I seem to 
move about here as one in a dream, and cannot really admire all 
that is lovely. It is because my heart is so narrow, so contracted, 
so imperfect. I want to be a real Christian, not wavering 
nor undecided, but sincere, pure, true. I think I am beginning 
to look more calmly upon things now, both pleasures and disap- 
pointments, and I trust it may be so that this wild disposition 
may be restrained. 

"15. I have felt very happy all day, and particularly this 
evening. Now I wish to know why it is. If it is the sense of 
pardon, that inward peace which flows from a heart right with 
Grod, then is it true happiness, that which the world can neither 
give, nor, (blessed be God,) take away. If it be anything 
worldly or sinful, and fleshly desires, I pray that it may be re- 
moved. Rather would I for ever have sorrow on account of my 
sins, than have my heart absorbed with the things of time, and 
forget my Grod. I know the Christian's pathway through the 
wilderness of this world is not one of roses, that there are 
thorns and briars in the way. ' Whosoever will be my disciple, 
let him take up his cross and follow rae. ' Only think ! poor 
weak, little heart, that cannot deny itself for Jesus, who has 
done so much for me. I desire strength from on high, that I 
may deny myself, have my will swallowed up in his. I desire 
to be pressing onward, not discouraged at my many falls. 
' Hold up my goings. ' ' Save, Lord, hear, me when I call upon 
thee.' 

"18. We have had a charming day, and, oh, this exquisite 
evening ! Masses of silvery clouds floating beneath a sky 
of a soft azure blue, and others just catching the last rays of the 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 417 

setting sun, converted into hues of brilliant gold. I dare not 
say positively that I am a Christian, j^et I do hope I am one. 
Look not upon me, 0, God, for I am black and vile, but look 
upon Jesus Christ, who bore in his own body the guilt of a de- 
praved world ! Yes, I have felt happy to-day ! I trust I may 
not be elated, and feel that there is anj^thing good in me. I lay 
my sins on Jesus. 

"20. Devoted this afternoon to writing to the precious ones 

at home. I proposed this night to meet with C . in prayer 

to our Father at twilight on Sabbath evening. 

"23. Alone to-day at Umetch, Mr. M. having walked 
to Anelicauhat, though very unfit. I desire to have a heart- 
searching. It is very disagreeable, and my mind very unwilling ; 
this heart so impure and I so vile and degraded. Search me, 0, 
Grod, and try me ! 

' ' Reading some in the history of Germany. I desire to make 
a wise improvement of my time. There is such a monotony 
here. One feels inclined to dream away the time, more espe- 
cially when we hear so distinctly the ' music of the waters,' and 
I am not so active as I was in Nova Scotia. I jVITJST overcome 
this. I have only one life to live, the' past time I cannot recall, 
of the futui'e I have no assurance. How important, then, that 
I improve the present. 0, Father in heaven, show me the 
value of time ! My soul cleaveth unto the dust ; quicken me, 
oh, quicken me, let me rest in thee, my will moulded to thine ! 
Oh deliver me from a restive, unquiet spirit !" 

The missionaries had been expecting the arrival of 
Mr. Johnston at this time, and the delay of his coming 
seriously deranged their plans. The John Williams was 
about going to England, and it had been arranged that 
Mr. and Mrs. Inglis should go in her, to superintend the 
printing of the New Testament in the Aneiteumese lan- 
guage. This rendered necessary the removal of Mr. 
Copeland to Aneiteum to take the charge of his station. 

* A dear young friend in Nova Scotia. 



418 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

Mr. Paton was thus left alone on Tanna without the aid 
even of a female missionary, while Mr. Matheson's sta- 
tion, which had been commenced under such favourable 
circumstances, was left unoccupied. Erromanga, too, 
should have had another missionary. The smaller 
islands of Fotuna and Niua were eager for missionaries. 
In fact the whole field was more open than it has ever 
been since. 

In October the John Williams arrived at Aneiteum, 
and after spending a few weeks in visiting the neigh- 
bouring islands, returned in November, whence she sailed 
on the 13th for Sydney, with Mr. and Mrs. Inglis on 
board. Along with them went also Mr. Geddie's chil- 
dren, except the youngest. This, of course, was a se- 
vere trial to their parents. This parting with their chil- 
dren is one of the most painful trials to which missiona- 
ries in the South Seas, and some other fields are sub- 
jected. Mrs. M. also felt the departure of her cousins, 
particularly the eldest. She spent about a fortnight at 
Mr. Geddie's station during each visit of the John Wil- 
liams, and among other events thus describes a parting 
between them and some of the natives. 

" We had a farewell meeting with the boys and girls on 
the premises, a few evenings since. It was very inter- 
esting. They all behaved very nicely, and appeared to 
enjoy themselves. After tea we came into the dining 
room, which was beautifully decorated with flowers. 
Charlotte read a farewell address. The young chief 
made a very appropriate speech. We had some music, 
and one or two addresses, when the evening's enter- 
tainment closed by singing our national anthem and the 
doxology, during the singing of which the natives stood. 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 419 

We, too , enjoyed ourselves, and could scarcely fancy that 
those intelligent, well-dressed natives were a few years 
ago perfect savages." 

We subjoin some extracts from Mrs. M's. diary at 
this time." 

" Anelicauhat, Aug. 25. Enjoyed a walk upon the hill this 

morning with C . We had a sweet and I trust profitable 

conversation. I do feel diiferently now to what I ever did be- 
fore. I praise my Father in heaven ! I think I am not so excit- 
able. I know that those sins yet lurk in my heart, and it is 
only restraining grace that prevents them from being clothed in 
words and actions. I require to watch and pray without ceasing ! 
This evening spent in conversation not profitable. I fear I in- 
dulge too much. Oh, I trust that nothing may lead my heart 
astray — that I may be firm and decided in choosing the right 
— ever looking for strength from on high ! — feeling my own 
weakness — and that if others can afi'ord to walk loosely, I can- 
not. If I cannot speak freely to persons without sinning, 
better by far be distant and reserved, never mind if counted odd. 

" Sept. 6. Aneiteum seems to be wearing her best dress just 
now. All nature looks lovely, and ' the big tree ' clothed with 
luxuriant foliage, more venerable and inviting than ever ; with 
its majestic branches almost sweeping the ground. I will take 
my Bible, and sit under its shade a little while before school com- 
mences. ' Grod be merciful to me a sinner ! ' 

"13. Have not felt very well for two days past — feel very 
feverish ; must try and overcome it, and not let one unpleasant 
word escape my lips. The birds sang so sweetly this afternoon, 
it made me feel happy. Everj'thing here drags one down. If 
we Could only live above this world, and rise superior to its en- 
joyments, the darkness around us would not influence us. 

"16. We had a storm to-day of thunder and very heavy rain. 
Nothing particular transpired this week. I rise every morning 
about six, kept busy with house duties until half-past eight, 
when the women come to sew. After dinner, which is about 12 
o'clock, pencil a little, hear my little girls their lessons, and teach 



420 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

them writing on the slates, read until school-time, which is 
three o'clock. After school, visit the sick, walk or sew, read, 
&c. , translate Aneiteumese with Mr. M. Thus day after day 
flies away, and oh, how apt are we to grow cold and careless, 
about those things which concern the salvation of our souls ! 

Oct. 18. My birth-day. Twenty- two years of my life gone, 
and oh ! how little accomplished. This day two years, I sat 
down at the table of the Lord, bj'^ the side of my beloved mamma. 
We were all sad, for upon the next day, there was to be a fare- 
well taking ; and now I have been two years from my much 
loved home. Oh, how many sins have I committed in that 
time — how often have I gone astray ! I desire this day, Grod ! 
to renew tay covenant with thee ; to resolve in thy strength that 
I will henceforth walk with thee ! I desire to become dead to 
the world ; to overcome the lusts of the flesh ; and to consecrate 
myself entirely to the service of Grod, in what way soever he 
may appoint. Lord, undertake for me. 

"23. I desire, Grod ! on this holy Sabbath, to consecrate my- 
self anew to thy service and glory ! Lord ! thou knowest how 
weak I am, how prone to what is evil, how averse to what is 
good. Undertake for me, my Grod! strengthen me with 
might in the inner man, and clothe me with the robe of my Sa- 
viour's righteousness! May I indeed mourn, when I think of 
the coldness of my heart, in return for thy boundless love ! 
x\riew I dedicate myself to thee, God ! Almighty maker of 
heaven and earth ! accept of me, worthless and vile, though I 
be, take me and make of me what thou wilt. I deeply mourn 
over the errors of my past life ; and know that of myself I can 
do nothing to merit thy favour. I have gone astray like a lost 
sheep ; seek thy servant, and bring me into thy fold. 

" Anelicauhat, Nov. 5. Saturday night: We have been 
nearly two weeks — ^flown how quickly — at the harbour waiting 
the arrival of the John Williams. Mr. and Mrs. Inglis came 
over upon Monday last. Mr. M. has been poorly this week, 
vomiting blood. I have not done much, feel bewildered and ex- 
cited. Exquisite sunset and delightful moonlight ni|;ht. How 
I ajn carried back to my home, far awaj^, where thDse I love 
dearest dwell. 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 421 

"16. Day before yesterday I parted with mj^ beloved C , 

on board the John Williams. I never knew until now, how dear 
she was to me. Shall we meet again on earth ? O God ! thou 
knowest. May we endeavour to serve thee in our different 
spheres of labour, and may we dwell for ever with thee in that 
bright happy land where there is no parting. Our favourite 
walks seem to have lost all their charms for me ; and it pain- 
fully recalls memories of the past even to look at flowers. Yes- 
terday, when the natives were carrying me home in my sedan 
chair, the tide being too high, we could not cross at the usual 
place. They brought me directly through our favomite walk 
across the ford, and under the big tree. What mj feelings were 
cannot be described. To-day I am not well, but must on no ac- 
count yield to my indolent feelings. My lot is cast here now. I 
must be up and doing, remembering that ' the night conieth 
when no man can work. ' Father in heaven, I give myself to 
thee!" 

We add extracts of two letters written at the same 
period : 

TO HER BROTHER. 

Aneiteum, Nov. Y, 1859. 
' We have a nice little station at Umetch, and endeavour to 
do what we can. There is so much work to be done, and how 
few are the labourers ; I think persons at home understand very 
little about missionary work in the South-Sea islands. The mis- 
sionary is his own carpenter, blacksmith, mason, &c. , besides 
printing and instructing the natives. Uncle is now building a 
large stone church which will be quite an ornament to the mis- 
sion premises, which begins to look quite like a little village. 
There are two foreign families residing here, engaged in sandal- 
wood trading and whaling. They do not draw many of the na- 
tives after them. 

" Oh, dear M , it is a sad trial to be laid aside from active 

labour as we are ! Mr. M. has been very patient and uncom- 
plaining during all his illness ; but he required a great deal of 
attention. Were he really ill, it would be much easier for me to 
36 



422 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

write about liis health. Sometimes he is quite well. He is 
never confined to bed for any length of time. I am afraid that 
we are not patient enough. We still have encouraging news 
from our station. The people say they are anxious for our re- 
turn. Mr. Paton's station is not so encouraging. The people 
for many years have come in contact with foreigners, and have 
been ill treated by them, consequently they have no love for the 
missionary, and the meetings for public worship are very irre- 
gularly attended. ' ' 

TO THE SAME. 

Aneiteum^ Dec. 1, 1859. 

"Last week uncle commenced school visitation. He and C — , 
with Helen, and nearly all the girls and boys in their yard, came 
over to Umetch. They remained all night at our house, and the 
next morning we set off for Anuimetch, a district amid the hills, 
in the interior of the island. The natives constructed a sedan 
chair for me, and I walked part, and was carried part of the 
way. Our boys set off on a trot with me, and I was far ahead 
of the procession, when we had a shower of rain, and I heard 
that Mr. M. who came on horseback, had turned and gone 
home. Of course, this damped my pleasure, as we expected to 
be away two days, and I could not leave Mr. M. to provide for 
himself. I concluded to go on and return that evening. So on 
we went, sometimes by the side of a lovelj'' river, and at times 
in wild lonely places, climbing up the sides of rocks, and away 
down in what had been the bed of a river. We saw some lovely 
orchids in bloom, a great many ferns, and climbing flowering 
plants. 

"The house made for uncle's accommodation, is upon the 
top of a little hill, from whence there is a fine view of the valley 
and river. We found ourselves completely hemmed in by high 
hills. I had prepared dinner, but the natives had a dinner pro- 
vided for us, consisting of taro and fowls. I left in the after- 
ternoon, hoping to gather some flowers on my way home ; but 
the boys ran off with me in the chair, and before tea-time I was 
set down at our own door. They would not allow me to walk, 
as walking is very difficult and tiresome. The road is one of the 



RESIDENCE ON ANEITEUM. 423 

wildest and worst imaginable. It was amusing to see the pro- 
cession, aunt and Ella foremost, carried in a Nahat — a number 
of natives carrying bundles and baskets — next, I came in my 
chair, and an immense number of natives following, to visit the 
schools, and render assistance. The day after the mission party 
came home, we went in another direction, and walked over a 
hill to a district on the other side of it. We had a fine view of 
the surrounding hills and valleys, and could see far out in the 
blue ocean. We were very much pleased with our visit. Many 
of the natives read exceedingly well, and there are very few who 
do not read. 

' ' The natives of this island have expressed a great deal of 
sympathy with Mr. Matheson, and have been very kind to us, 
rendering all assistance in their power. " 

Mr. Matheson however, could not be satisfied where he was, 
and as he was employed. His desire was to be labouring among 
the heathen, and he was specially desirous to be back at his own 
station. To have returned at the commencement of the rainy 
season, which is always unhealthy, and when it would have been 
almost impossible to communicate with them would have been 
doubly injudicious. The disappointment preyed upon his health 
and spirits, and he accordingly acceded to a proposal to spend 
a few months on Erromanga. 



424 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 



CHAPTER VII. 

MESIDENCJE ON EBMOMANOA. 

The next four months, embracing the rainy season, 
were spent on Erromanga. Their stay here presents 
few incidents worthy of note. They endeavoured to 
render such aid to Mr. and Mrs. Gordon in their work 
as was in their power, though from their ignorance of 
the language and the delicate state of Mr. M.'s health 
they could do but little in this way. They found it to 
be a great trial to be not only away from their station, 
but in a position in which they could not be actively en- 
gaged in missionary work. Mr. M. felt this the more 
from the faltering nature of his disease, in consequence 
of which he was not sensible of his weakness ; and though 
endeavouring to maintain resignation to the Divine will, 
yet his absence from his station preyed upon his spirits. 
Mrs. M.'s correspondence and diary show how much her 
heart was in her proper mission work, but she sought to 
submit to her present position, as the arrangement of 
Divine Providence, and carefully to minister to her hus- 
band, whose state of mind we must add, was an addi- 
tional trial to her. Having now leisure time she endea- 
voured to improve her mind and heart by reading and 
study. As illustrative of their residence on Erromanga, 
we shall now furnish extracts from their correspondence, 



RESIDENCE ON ERROMANGA. 425 

and from Mrs. M.'s diary. Under date 30th Jan. 1860, 
Mr. M. wrote : 

" This you are aware is the most unhealthy season of the year, 
and though I could never boast of being a very strong person, 
still, at present my symptoms are all much more favoui-able and 
seem to indicate a more permanent restoration to strength ; yet 
what may be the ultimate issue is known only to God, and for it 
we would wait in faith and in prayer, knowing that God 
reigneth. We would in this, recognise his hand and rejoice in 
the assurance that all these dispensations of his providence shall 
be overruled for good ; and though we are not where we would 
be, or perhaps as actively engaged as we could desire, yet if we 
are where God would have us and there doing what we can, we 
would endeavour to acquiesce in his will, and while doing so we 
would indulge the fond hope that by you all we are held in re- 
membrance before God, and that in answer to your prayers I may 
yet be enabled to do something more in the vineyard of our Re- 
deemer. Instead of entertaining hard thoughts of God — instead 
of saying, that we would that the past had been otherwise, we would 
consider it as the happiest, as the most precious period of my life ; a 
period composed of one unbroken series of Divine mercies, comforts 
and consolations, one in which the richest mercies of God's grace 
were made to shine forth most illustriously, even in the bitterest 
hour of trial and distress — one in which the sympathizing Friend 
(who does indeed stick closer than any earthly friend) was an 
ever-present help, imparting at all times a sufficiency of every 
needed grace, and a period of all others, rich in the cultivation 
of sweet intercourse and communion with God. Though I have 
no^b been allowed to remain at my post and there be as actively 
engaged, as we could desire ; in that respect clouds and darkness 
have been round about us ; but as the Lord of hosts has been, 
and is still with us, and as the God of Jacob has been and is still 
our refuge, as the darkness is now beginning to pass away, and as 
to the eye of humanity the bright side of the cloud is being again 
turned towards us, we could say in reference to the past, the 
Lord hath done all things well, and we would at the same time call 
upon our soul and all that is within us, to bless God's holy name. " 
36 * 



426 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

The following are extracts of Mrs. M.'s correspon- 
dence during this period : 

TO HER MOTHER. 

'''' Erromanga, Dec. 12, 1859. 

"We came here yesterday, after a twenty-four hours' passage 
in a trading vessel called the ' New Forest, ' and now I must ex- 
plain the reason. The missionary brethren would not consent 
to our going to Tanna alone before the commencement of the 
rainy season, as Mr. M. is not strong or healthy enough for the 
arduous labour and anxiety there, although he could manage 
very well on a civilized island like Aneiteum, where the people 
are not superstitious about sickness ; but Mr. M. had made up 
his mind to leave Aneiteum. To come to Erromanga was the 
only alternative, so we came suddenly upon Mr. and Mrs. Gordon 
last evening, and met with a very warm reception from them. 
For the sake of health, they have their house built on the top 
of a high hill, so that while we remain here we may be laying in 
a stock of health. I was very sorry in many respects to leave 
Aneiteum. In the first place I was actively engaged. In the 
next, every thing that could have been done for Mr. Matheson's 
health and comfort was done. We had no anxiety or trouble 
about anything. We expect to remain here until Mr. Johnston 
comes, who, if he left Nova Scotia in October, will probably be 
here in April ; and then, if all is well, we proceed together to 
Tanna, or some other field of labour. 

"I hope to make myself very happy and comfortable here. 
My only regret is that I can do nothing in the way of missionary 
work, if I except a native lad of Aneiteum whom I have brought 
as a servant, and whom I hope to be able to instruct. You need 
not think me delicate after what I underwent last rainy season. 
I was never sick, and it being my. first in those climates must 
have been trying. At least it generally is, and Mrs. Grordon, for 
many months after she came here, was very often prostrated 
with fever. I have very great reason for thankfulness. Mr. 
M. too might have been very well to-day, had he remained on 
Azieiteum, but he is anxious to be at a heathen field of labour. 



RESIDENCE ON ERROMANGA. 



427 



The natives were very sorrj^ about our leaving, and my two little 
girls stood crjdng on the beach. I could hear them long after I 
left the shore. 

"The work here meets with a little encouragement. Oh, 
that Tanna were in such a prepared state to receive the gospel ! 
Nothing but a sense of duty keeps us away from our station. 
There are many difficulties to contend with there unknown upon 
many of the other islands — for instance, their ideas about sick- 
ness ; and I have no doubt that Mr. Paton's death and Mr. M.'s 
sickness would for a time greatly retard the work. But God's 
ways are not as our ways. He alone sees the end from the be- 
ginning. The hearts of all men are in his hand, and he can turn 
them whithersoever he pleases. 

" We are living on the top of a high hill, and get a fine sea 
breeze. This range of hills stretches across the island for some 
distance. There are scarcely any trees upon it. In some places 
the grass is quite green, and reminds me of hills at home — quite 
different from any I have seen before in the South Seas. There 
are pleasant walks, a fine view of the ocean, and of all ships en- 
tering the harbour. In the interior you see bleak, barren hills, 
and richly wooded valleys. There is a lovely river, which runs 
into Dillon's Bay. We landed just at the spot where Williams 
is said to have been killed. The scenery is not wildly beautiful, 
like some parts of Aneiteum and Tanna, yet it has its charms. 




DISTANT VIEW OF DILLOX'S BAY. 



428 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

TO HER BROTHER. 

' ' Ei'romanga^ Dec. 26. 

"My spirit hovered near you all day yesterday. Were you 
not thinking and speaking of the absent one ? They talk of 
time working changes in people, and their hearts being weaned 
from home. Time has not acted so with me. My heart seems 
more firmly attached than ever before to that loved circle. 
What are you doing ? I fancied you at home yesterday, fancied 
myself walking by your side, or seated in the big front parlour. 
Isn't it a lovely, sociable, homelike room? But fancy me perched 
upon a hill on Erromanga, with an extensive view of the sea in 
front, and ranges of hills behind us, with only a little grove of 
trees scattered here and there, and those hills almost entirely 
uninhabited. If you look to the south-west. Traitor's Head is 
to be seen, generally capped with clouds, and the population of 
Erromanga seems to be concentrated in that direction, where 
vegetation is abundant and the appearance tropical. We are, 
I should think, 1000 feet above the level of the sea, and near 
the side of the hill, which is almost perpendicular ; and Dillon's 
Bay, the valley, and river look lovely lying below. I have not 
seen many of the heathen, those who come about being partially 
civilized, and Mr. Grordon has a few boys who remain with 
him. 

" This is a lovely day, excessively warm, the sky of an intense 
blue, and masses of white silvery clouds floating about. Nothing 
to remind one of Christmas day at home. Would that some 
carrier dove would drop me a note this morning. How I long 
to hear from you all. I find that it does not do for me to sit 
and think of you all. Sometimes it is quite painful to look at 
your portraits, they look so lifeless." 

TO HER MOTHER. 

Erromanga^ 29th Jan., 1860. 
" I often think of the many precious hours persons at home 
spend in decorating their frail bodies. Would that we might 
ever keep the bar of Grod in view, and remember that every 
hour is bringing us nearer to it. 



RESIDENCE ON ERROMANGA. 429 

"Won't you rejoice with me wlien you hear that we are once 
more at our station ? Does it not seem as if God desired us to 
feel our own weakness and insufficiency, before entering upon 
our work, lest we should fancy that we could do anything, show- 
ing that he can and does not require us to carry forward his 
work ? ' Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith 
the Lord.' Pray, dear mother, that the Holy Spirit may be 
poured out upon us from on high. 

' ' Feb. 2. Last night saw a large waterspout out in the sea, 
but really, my dear mamma, I cannot give you a description of 
it. The sun set gloriously behind some dark clouds, edging them 
with silver and gold. It reminded me of the evening we ex- 
pected to sail for Tanna, to commence our labours there. I was 
standing at the door and called to aunt, ' Do come and see the 
cloud with the silver lining. ' Well, we have seen the cloud, but 
not the silver lining, although I doubt not it is there, and will 
appear at some future day. ' ' 

TO MRS. R. 

'' Erromanga, Feb. 20th, 1860. 
"Not being very well to-day I am enjoying the sick child's 
privilege, that of having the whole day to myself, part of which 
I set apart for writing to you. Alas we are too apt to call time 
our own, forgetting that we must soon give a very solemn ac- 
count of how we have spent it, to its rightful owner ! Oh, my 
dear C. , if I might only have a real earnest conversation with 
you this morning ! Only think, I am nearly two years and a 
half from home ! What a long dream it has been. Are you all 
just the same as when I left you? Change towards me I know 
you will not, for friendship based upon love to the Redeemer 
cannot but be constant and true. I wish you would write to me 
fully about yourself. You, my dear C, are enjojTing many 
privileges, while I am excluded from all. Tell me if you see 
the same beauty in religion you formerly saw. At home we are 
apt to trust too much to our feelings, the frame of mind we are 
in at church, prayer-meetings, &c. Here we cannot, and by 
this our religion is tested, and we are led to cast ourselves more 
entirely upon Christ. Sweet, is it not, to think that notwith- 



430 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

standing our fitful frames and feelings, Jesus is ever the same? 
You spoke in your last of the sweetness of the rest of heaven 
after the cares and toils of life. Add to this, that we shall 
hnow Christ, for ' we shall see him, see him as he is.' We shall 
unceasingly admire and enjoy him, for we shall be like him. 
Does not this make heaven dearer? Shall we not say with 
Emily Judson : 

"There loving eyes are on the portals straying, 
There arms extend a wanderer to fold, 
There waits a dearer, lovelier one, arraying 
His own in spotless robes and crowns of gold. 

*' Then let me die. My spirit longs for heaven, 
In that pure bosom evermore to rest; 
But if to labour longer here be given, 

Father, thy will be done, and I am blest." 

"This is the unhealthy season with us, and certainly it is 
trying, though the weather has been unusually favourable. We 
are enjoying mountain life. Where our next remove will be I 
know not. Had I commenced this letter a few weeks ago, I 
would have told you that Mr. M. was quite well. Since then he 
has not been so well, and I know not what to say with regard to 
his health. My own is good. Mrs. Gordon is a very amiable 
person, and a sweet sympathizer, for she has had many trials, 
and her mother died since she left home. 

"One of the natives of this island brought Mr. Grordon a 
skull of the missionary they had killed long ago. It is supposed 
to be that of Mr. Harris. I have frequently seen those who 
were engaged in the murder, and we landed at the place where 
Mr. Williams was killed. " 

TO HER MOTHER. 

" Urromanga, Feb. 21st, 1860. 
" What a blessing and privilege it is that we are able to com- 
municate with each other so frequently. How it seems to lessen 
the distance. My heart is ever, ever with you. Pleasant it is 
to think that the same silvery moon sheds her cold light upon 



RESIDENCE ON ERROMANGA. 481 

US both. I have often given the Uttle white clouds messages for 
you. Sweet to thiuK too that we read the same Bible, sing the 
same Psalms, but, above all, precious that the same God watches 
over both, that the same Jesus is ever nigh to comfort and sus- 
tain. I can wish you no greater happiness, my dear mamma 
than that you may ever enjoy a sweet sense of his presence. 
How it grieves me to think, that I can make you no return for 
your unwearied kindness to me in days gone by, for all the trou- 
ble and anxiety you have had about me from my earliest years. 
I know that to your fond, affectionate heart, there must have 
appeared a blank in the family-circle when I left. I know and 
feel that I must have caused you very many anxious hours. 
Oh that I were more deserving of all your love and kindness ! 

' ' When you look back upon your trials do they not seem 
light ? How much more trifling will they appear to you, when 
viewed in the light of eternity. Was it that you required to be 
made 'perfect through suffering?' Christ has been only pre- 
paring you for the home above. Would that his love might 
constrain us not to live unto ourselves, but unto Him who loved 
us and gave himself for us ! I care not how great my trials 
may be, were I sure of a resting-place in heaven. Let us not 
look forward to heaven only as a rest from all our troubles, 
but as a place where we shall glorify God and enjoy fully the 
presence of Christ. 

" I do wish that you would write to me and advise me, my 
dear mamma, in matters both temporal and spiritual. I am 
very inexperienced. It would be wrong to say that I do not 
think much about home, for I do. Yet I trust it is in the spirit 
of ' Thy will be done. ' I can be happy here ; happy, I trust, in 
working or suffering, although it is much easier to work than to 
suffer. Dear ma, the cause of all our unhappiness is our dis- 
tance from Christ. If we only lived near to him and loved him 
above all things, heaven might indeed seem begun on earth. I 
shall never regret having left home, nor do I regret our absence 
from our station. I trust if spared to return we may see the 
importance of spending and being spent in the service of Christ. 
I have been very anxious to know if the revival reached Pictou. 
I fear it has not. I fear there are many, many, who ax'e deceiv- 



432 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

ing themselves, fancying they are Christians when they have not 
given their hearts wholly to Christ. Surely if they had, religion 
would not be so cold as it is. Let us search our hearts, dear ma, 
and never be satisfied with our attainment. 

" How can we talk of our trials, when we look around and see 
how much more severely others are tried. What would Mr. 
Paton not have given to have had one sentence from his wife 
telling that she was happy. But she was cut ofi" so suddenly 
that she uttered not a word. How heart-rending must it have 
been for him to nail together some rough boards, and bury as 
quickly as possible his lately blooming young wife. It has been 
an awful warning to us all. Oh that the set time to favour these 
dark islands were come ! 

"We feel more and more that Paul may plant and Apollos 
water, but it is Grod only that giveth the increase. Unless the 
Spirit be poured out from on high, our labour is of no avail. 
Be earnest for us at a throne of grace. I do feel that I have 
your prayers, my darling mother. 

"You will be much surprised when you hear of our coming 
to Erromanga, not more so than myself, but I can trace the 
hand of Grod in it. I think I have learned to know more of 
myself Having very little to occupy my time and thought, I 
think I have tried to improve (though not as much as I might 
have done) myself for my field of labour, should G-od see fit in 
his good providence to place me there again. 

' ' Mr. M. seems improving in health and strength. He is 
using cod liver oil, which I think is proving of great benefit to 
him. He is in good spirits, and nothing keeps us from our sta- 
tion but the impossibility of getting there, as this is the rainy 
season. I know not what the future has in store for us. I de- 
sire to leave myself in His hand who has ever led me. Would 
we not be perfectly happy, were we to cast ourselves entirely 
upon Jesus, leaving all to him who knowiJ the end from the be- 
ginning ? 

" The time, as you may imagine, would hang heavily upon 
my hands here did I not, as I trust, strive to improve it. For 
some time after I came here I did not enjoy my usual amount 
of health and strength, felt languid, and unwilling or unable to 



RESIDENCE ON ERROMANGA. 433 

exort myself, owing, I siipi)Ose, to past anxieties and exertions. 
Now I feel better, and as far as we can judge, there appears to 
be a decided improvement in Mr. M. Would that it might please 
God to give us strength to labour for him. 

' ' To-morrow is the Sabbath. Dear ma, I know you will think 
of Mary. Do not think too much about me. Oh, I think of 
the land where there are no partings, where I trust we together 
shall spend an eternity ! You will hear the music of ' the church 
going bell. ' May you be enabled to say, as did the sweet Psalm- 
ist, ' I was glad when they said unto me. Let us go up into the 
house of the Lord. ' We celebrated the dying love of Jesus since 
we came here. There were only six of us, a teacher and his 
wife, besides ourselves. 

" Oh, what a sifting there will be in that day when Christ 
comes to judge the world ! To many who now think themselves 
Christians it will be said, ' Depart from me — I never knew you,' 
notwithstanding that they have done works in the name of Christ, 
and perhaps been the means of saving others. How many whom 
we look upon as doubtful will then be found to have been true 
followers of Christ ! 

" The time is flying away. Ere this reaches you I shall be 
three years from home. You must all have changed since I left, 
in some respects, yet I cannot realize it. I think I have not ; 
only I am losing my rosy cheeks, and becoming very brown. ' ' 

TO HER BROTHER. 

'^ Erromanga, Feb. 21, 1860. 

" I know not how it happens that I love so much to write to 
you. I never weary of reading your letters, and happier still 
should I be did you write to me more fully, and tell me all about 
your studies, and if you are pressing on. Do not ever forget 
that you have a sister in the Southern Hemisphere who loves 
you and thinks of you daily. 

" Oh, W., there is only one object worth living for, and that 
is the glory of (xod ! Aim at that in all you do or say. In a 
very little time the place that knows us now must know us no 
more for ever. Would that we might see the importance of 
seeking now an interest in Christ ! If jom are at ease in your 
37 



434 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

mind and satisfied with self, then, my dear boy, you are not a 
Christian. The Hfe of a Christian is a warfare, a struggle from 
beginning to end. Jesus has said that we must daily take up 
the cross, denying ourselves. It is impossible that we can serve 
God and the world. The nearer we live to Jesus the happier 
are we, and the better fitted to resist the temptations of the 
devil and the lusts of our own evil hearts. 

"Write to me, my darling, and tell me all about yourself. 
The world is beautiful and bright, but it has been cold and dark 
to you in many respects, and you know not how many trials and 
difficulties lie before you. When the shadows lengthen upon 
your pathway, may you be enabled to cast yourself upon Him 
who careth for you. May he hide you in his pavilion. If you 
possess Christ, you posset all things. I advise you to read 
McCheyne, not once or twice, but keep it beside you. Try to 
get the ' Memoir of Walter M. Lowrie, ' missionary to China. 
Pay much attention to French, as, if you become a missionary, 
you will meet with French priests wherever you go. Above all 
things, if you wish to be a useful one, you must have a thorough 
knowledge of Hebrew and Greek, to have a perfect translation 
of the Scriptures into any of these languages, as the ideas of 
these people are more Oriental than ours, I advise you to me- 
ditate much, and always be striving to learn something from 
every person with whom you meet. Read your Bible morning, 
noon, and night. Do not weary of my lectures. You do not 
know how anxious I am about you. 

"Little did I once imagine, wheo, a tiny child, I learned that 
hymn beginning, 

From Erromanga's shore 
The blood of Williams cries, 

that I should tread the spot where he was killed, and meet fre- 
quently with those who assisted in taking his life. I have fre- 
quently seen the man who killed Mr. Harris. The Erroraangans 
are a very mild, docile race, compared with the Tannese. We have 
heard a report lately of the massacre of two boats' crews upon 
the north of Tanna, but I cannot vouch for the correctness of 
tl)e report. Oh, if Mr. Matheson were only strong, that we 



RESIDENCE ON ERROMANGA. 435 

might go back to our station ! But we must wait patientl5^ I 
trust our Father has some glorious end in view for us, and that 
by this affliction, he has been preparing us for it. Is it not 
sweet to look at the bright side of life ? Are you ever gloomy 
and dull ? Do you ever feel weary, and think your lot hard ? 
Remember that our Saviour was weary and hungry^ and had no 
place whereon to laj'^ his blessed head. Remember, too, that he 
has said, ' Come unto me, all yc that are weary.' " 

We subjoin extracts from her diary at the same 
period : 

"Dec. 17. It is trying to have heathen around me, yet not be 
able to do anything for them. I shall not spend my time in vain 
regrettings that I can do nothing, but rather strive to improve 
myself in many ways, that I may be better prepared for any 
sphere of labour to which, in the providence of Grod, I may be 
called. I can truly say that I desire only to be engaged in the 
service of Him who loved me and gave himself for me. 

"20. I deeply mourn this morning my want of faith. I awoke 
this morning and found myself saj^ing, unconsciously, Your life 
is hid with Christ in Grod. Oh, for this assurance ! Fool, why 
tarry ? Why trifle for a moment, when every hour is bringing 
thee nearer the judgment seat of Christ, where thou must render 
an account of the deeds done in the body ? What a black cata- 
logue is mine ! Cancel thou my sins. Jesus, restore the 
wanderer to thy fold ! 

"22. It is impossible for me to realize that this is cold De- 
cember at home — that Christmas is so near at hand. I appear 
to be dreaming away life. Every thing seems so unreal to me, 
I fancy myself sometimes another person. I wish to have the 
reality of heaven impressed upon my mind — that it is a land not 
' very far off, ' but near — that the eye of G-od is upon me — that 
he knows the most secret thoughts and intents of my heart. If 
I could ever keep this in mind would I dare to sin ? Would I 
not strive to overcome the enemy of souls ? Who that once en- 
joyed a nearness to Jesus, that once had a glimpse of his love- 



436 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

liness, could ever love sin ? Oh, pour out upon me thy Holy 
Spirit ! Permit me to enjoy a sweet sense of thy presence. 

" Christmas morning. How precious is Jesus to my soul to- 
day ! Would that all the world could taste his love ! Hold me 
up, blessed Jesus ! I cannot walk of myself. What time my 
heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I ! 
I require the rod, let me bear it in meekness. Search my heart, 
and know my besetting sins. Verily mine iniquities have taken 
hold upon me, but if covered with the robe of Christ's righteous- 
ness, my filthness and vileness shall be hid from the eyes of the 
Father, and glorious thought, I may enjoy his smile. 

"31. I shall take this afternoon for a half-holiday, and oh may 
Jesus be very near to me, while I endeavour to meditate upon 
the mercies of the past year, and strive to mourn over the follies 
— the sins I have committed ! I am upon Erromanga not very 
well, very distressing cough, weak, endeavouring to exercise my- 
self as much as possible, walking while I read, not denying myself 
as much as I should. I do long and pant to live near to Jesus, 
to walk closely with him. It is my chief desire, I can truly say, 
to be moulded to his will. Oh if Grod spare me to see the close 
of another year may I be found a better and happier being ! May 
the world be entirely crucified to me, and I dead to its charms 
and fascinations. May I become a golden vessel fitted for the 
Master's use in time and eternity. 

"Jan. 4, 1860. Have felt very unwilling to sit down to write, 
owing I suppose to weakness, caused by this cough. I do indeed 
feel very much our being set aside from labour in the Lord's 
vineyard. Words cannot express what I feel. I know that I 
am very unworthy to occupy this high station, and that for mine 
iniquities I am now in the furnace. K Grod spare me, I resolve 
to devote myself entirely to his service, in the strength of Jesus. 
. If it be his will to remove me, may I be prepared for a dwelling- 
place on high. I long and pant to know more of Jesus, to feel 
a sweet sense of his ever abiding presence. Take my whole 
heart, Jesus, let me see thy beauty, and be ravished with thy 
love! 

"27. Oh, for greater and more glorious views of the great- 
ness of Jehovah ! I know that he is greater and more glorious 



RESIDENCE ON ERB.OMANGA. 437 

than it is possible to conceive, but I fear that n.y views and 
ideas of Grod are too low. Would that I may ever take his holy 
name upon my lips with the most profound reverence. Oh, 
that Jesus might disclose to me his lovely face ! 

' ' 29. While seated at dinner we experienced one of the most 
severe earthquakes I have ever felt. There was no sound, and it 
came very suddenly, rocking the house almost like a cradle. It 
is an awful sensation, and strikes terror into the hearts of even 
the most fearless. I think nothing displays the power of God 
so visibly as an earthquake. How terrible must have been the 
earthquake that rent the rocks when our blessed Lord said, ' It 
is finished. ' And oh ! what a day will that be when Christ 
Cometh surrounded by multitudes of holj'^ angels to judge the 
quick and the dead — when this world and all that is therein 
shall be burnt up. 

What power shall be the sinner's stay ? 
How shall he meet that dreadful day ? 

Be thou Jesus ever nigh to me. Without thee I cannot Uve, 
without thee I dare not die. 

' ' Feb. 3. Feel very well to-day. Short walk after dinner. 
Saw a waterspout last evening, and watched for some time a 
glorious sunset. ' By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens. ' 
Lovely thought. After night gazed on the heavens. How 
mightily do they display the wisdom and power of Grod. I love 
the gentle moon-beams and the ' cold light of stars. ' If ' the 
heavens are not clean in his sight, ' then how must man appear 
who is but a worm ? 

"4. It is a difficult thing out here to keep religion warm in 
the heart. Oh, why should it be ? Why should our souls cleave 
to the dust as they do ? Oh, if the dear Saviour would but dis- 
close to me his lovely face, if I could but lose sight of vile self 
and look only to Jesus ! Come, Jesus, and satisfy my longing 
soul ! 

"7. Mr. M. took poorly yesterday evening. Still continues 

ill to-day. Speaking yesterday of returning again to Tanna in 

March. Man proposes but God disposes. Would that we could 

ever leave ourselves in his hand, who knoweth what is best for 

37* 



438 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

US. When shall we attain to the grace of the apostle, who said, 
' I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be con- 
tent ?' O God, forbid that a murmur should ever escape my lips ! 
What could a hell-deserving wretch expect, yet what blessings 
are there that I do not enjoy ? Though separated from beloved 
parents and friends, God has raised up friends for me wherever I 
go. 

"Enjoying a measure of health and strength myself for which 
I desire to feel greatful to thee. Oh, my Father in heaven ! 

" 8. A good resolve, trusting in Jesus may I be enabled to 
keep it, to speak evil of no one. If you cannot speak of their 
qualifications, never speak of their faults. Watch and pray that 
ye enter not into temptation. But what I say unto you, I say 
unto all, watch. Mr. M. continues poorly, not quite confined 
to bed. 

"22. Have read since I came here, 'Lamps of the Temple,' 
'Life of Kitto,' ' Memoirs of Lowrie, ' 'Of Rev. Daniel Temple,' 
' Of Hannah More. ' Reading ' Scott' s Commentary, ' and ' Dick' s 
CelestiaLScenery. ' Find more delight in reading God's holy 
word, and more enlargement in prayer. Oh, that God would in- 
deed teach me by his Holy Spirit ! 

From some of the above extracts it will be seen that Mrs. M.'s 
health was somewhat afiected, partly by the climate, but more 
by the labours and anxieties through which she had passed. 
She was not however laid aside, and with the end of the rainy 
season, the unfavourable symptoms passed away. Mr. M.'s 
health gradually improved, though he was far from being com- 
pletely restored. But he was resolved to return to his work on 
Tanna, and accordingly in the April following left Erromanga. 
We shall in the remainder of this chapter give some farther ex- 
tracts from Mrs. M.'s correspondence and diary, toward the 
close of her residence there. 

TO HER BROTHER. 

' ' Erromanga^ March 9. 
"We have now been upon this island for nearly three months. 
Only think ! time flying away, and I doing no missionary work. 
Mr. M. seems better, though not strong, indeed I doubt if he 



RESIDENCE ON ERROMANGA. 439 

ever will be strong, but he may live many years as he now is. I 
trust we may soon be at work again, but if it is otherwise or- 
dered, may we be enabled to say, 'Thy will be done.' Pray, 
pray for the poor Tannese, that the time to favour them may 
soon arrive. 

' ' Oh, my dear W. , we can do very little, we may elevate their 
bedies, but what will that avail them if the soul perish ; and it 
is only the Spirit of Grod that can quicken them, and make the 
word spoken to profit ! You cannot imagine how degraded the 
inhabitants of the New Hebrides are. I think that they are the 
lowest in the scale of being of any on the face of the earth. Do 
not fancy when you hear of them reading their Bibles and pray- 
ing that the work is done. It is only then begun. They re- 
quire to be treated just as children. We must suit our instruc- 
tions to their capacities. It is difficult to make them entertain 
preper ideas of God. They do not seem to comprehend or take 
in the wonderful idea of such a Grod as our Grod, and they seem 
to have no fear of death, never think of consequences, of a fu- 
ture. They live only in the present moment. Oh, W. , does 
it not make you feel thankful that you were born in a 
Christian land, that you have ever heard of the way of life 
through Jesus? 

' ' Oh, how I longed to hear from j^ou ! It grieved me to hear 
that you were teaching, and yet I felt pleased, for I thought if 
you had to struggle for an education, how much more you will 
prize it, and it may prove a blessing to you. Oh, won't it be 
sweet in heaven to talk over all the ways in which God's hand 
hath led us, and to see that all was for the best — that these 
need-he^ s at which we sometimes stumbled, have wrought for us 
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ? Have you 
ever thought of the honourable position and responsibility of a 
school-teacher, especially in the country ? What you have 
taught these little boys and girls, they will remember through 
life, and perhaps long after you are silent in the grave. And 
your example : 'No man liveth to himself!' We all carry au in- 
fluence with us for good or evil. Read Longfellow's 'Psaim of 
Life. ' Write to me about what is taking place in Nova Scotia, 



440 MEMOIR OP MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

if there has been a revival there. Is it not sweet to hear cf the 
revival in Ireland, and some parts of England ? 

" This is your first trial in your struggle through life. Though 
it may seem large it is not. There are others and heavier loom- 
ing in the distance. Welcome trial, if we at last reach the 
haven of rest. I am ever thinking of you. Every thing that 
troubles you troubles me. Yet I would not wish for you an un- 
clouded life, lest you should look upon this world as your home. 

"0, W. , there is a bright beautiful home! Sorrow is un- 
known there. There we shall see Jesus and bask in the rays of 
his love. There we shall dwell for ever — no tears, no partings, 
no seas to separate us from one another. But we must strive 
to enter into this rest. My dear W. , love your Bible, read it, 
and meditate upon what you read, and pray over it morning, 
noon and night. 

'' Pray for this mission, that it may prosper ; pray that Grod 
would ' pour out his Spirit' upon Aneiteum. Though I have 
another mission, and if spared will labour upon a different 
island, yet my heart warms for Aneiteum, and I trust that many 
real converts may be found there, and that many from that 
island may be gathered into the kingdom of heaven. 

" Learn to keep accounts and mark down everything you ex- 
pend. At the end of every year, you will know what your ex- 
penditure has been, and upon how little you can live. Buy a 
proper book and keep a diary, jotting down what has occurred 
through the day. It is always useful for reference. ' ' 

TO HER MOTHER. 

Ei-romanga^ March 13, 1860. 

*'It is very oppressive to-day, and writing not a very agree- 
able occupation ; but if spared to return to our station, I will 
not have so much leisure time as I now enjoy. Mr. M. is very 
well just now, and we hope soon to be at work, but endeavour 
not to be too sanguine, lest we be disappointed. 

' ' Your anxiety about me, dearest M. , grieves me very much. 
You have given me up to this glorious work, and trials must and 
will befall. ' Who are these that are arrayed in white robes, 
and whence came they ? These are they who came forth out of 



RESIDENCE ON ERROMANGA. 441 

^r^ai tribulation," &c. You think much more highly of me than 
I deserve. I know you alwaj^s did. Oh, please do not! I do 
feel that I never did for you what I might have done, and now 
can do nothing. 

' ' I long to be at work. No trial is so great as that of being 
idle. We can do nothing away from our station. The language is a 
great barrier in our way ; and nothing can be done for the natives 
until it is acquired, which can only be by intercourse with them. 
There is no such thing as learning from books. Again, I en- 
treat of you, dear ones, do not feel anxious about me. Is it 
right ? Does not the same heavenly Father watch over us all ? 
I have many comforts, many friends — whom Grod has raised up 
for me ! I have met with many sincere friends wherever I 
have gone. I fear that I am not thankful enough for this. 

"19. Yesterday was Sabbath, a lovely day. I thought of the 
many bright and beautiful isles in these seas, upon which the 
sun was shining, whose inhabitants know not of the true God. 
Every day is alike to them. Why do we not value our privi- 
leges more ? ' Blessed are they that dwell in thy courts ; they be 
still praising thee!' I read the 84th Psalm, with a deeper 
meaning now, since deprived of this privilege. I trust that 
Sabbath is a real day of rest to you — that there is no preparing 
of dinners on that day. I think so much about you, indeed, my 
heart is ever with you. Is it not delightful to hear of the re- 
vivals in many parts of the world at present ? Oh, that the 
Spirit might be poured out upon churches in Nova Scotia I Who 
is there that does not rejoice to hear of the wonders Grod is 
working by his Spirit ! We often praj^ for an outpouring of the 
Spirit, and yet when the answer comes, how indifferent we seem 
about it. The work here is arduous, and we can do nothing. 
God. must open the door and prepare the hearts of the people to 
receive instruction. Be earnest for us at a throne of grace. I 
trust that I feel the benefit of your prayers. I know I am not 
forgotten by you. ' ' . 

TO HER BROTHER. 

Erromanga^ April 16, 1864. 
" Had I acted in accordance with my feelings, I would have 
written you a long letter upon Saturday evening. Not pro- 



442 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

crastination however, but weariness, and the idea that rest at 
that time was the more advisable, caused me to defer it until this 
morning. Saturday night was gloriously starlight, and after 
gazing for some time, I sketched the Southern cross for you, 
which you will never see in reality, unless you visit the South- 
ern hemisphere, and Orion, which you can see in your own 
Northern hemisphere. Do you not always have a longing to be 
at home upon Saturday evening ? Even more than at any other 
time. Love home, dear boy, and be happy there as long as you 
can ; but I write to you as if you were still there, forgetting that 
you have begun life's struggles. Oh, Willie, be a manl Live 
for the great end for which you were created ! The holier your 
life, the more happiness you will enjoy. Do not be an apology 
for a missionary or a minister. Oh, take the Bible only as your 
standard and directory ! Seek not the applause of men, which is 
but an empty bauble. We cannot bear much praise or success. 
We are sure to be elated and get above ourselves. 

' ' I took a long walk upon Friday evening, in company with 
Mr. and Mrs. Gr. , to an eminence from which Tanna can be dis- 
tinctly seen. Only think, we walked a distance of two miles 
and a half, and saw not one native. That gives you an idea of 
the population on this side of the island ; and although it is a 
trial to have so few natives around one, yet in some respects it 
is a great relief. Only think or fancy yourself set down in a 
place surrounded by heathen coming into your house, filthy and 
dirty, lying about on your floor, sitting on your chairs, examin- 
ing everything, and acting and speaking rudely. These are the 
petty annoyances a missionary upon Tanna is subjected to for 
the first few years, yet the loss of health is the greatest trial. 
Without that we can do very little, either for the natives or our- 
selves, and we require to be so perfect. They look to us as a 
pattern. The people in a manner partake of the disposition of 
the missionary. They cannot go beyond him. 

" Do read and study 'Dick's Celestial Scenery, '-which I men- 
tioned in my last letter. Read history, ancient and modern; If 
you intend to be a missionary, you will more thoroughly enjoy 
life, if you have a knowledge of Greology and Botany. It will 
elevate you more, and lead you to enjoy in contemplation > the 



RESIDENCE ON ERROMANGA. 443 

works of God, and in proportion as you are elevated, so will 
those whom you go to instruct be elevated ; and if your heart is 
ever lifting up from 'nature to nature's God,' you will really en- 
joy life. Life's trials will not rest so heavily upon you, if you 
feel that you are only a pilgrim and a stranger upon the earth ; 
if you are journeying to the bright world above. 

" It is said that when ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise, but 
deliver me from that ignorance, which only fancies th.e stars, as 
so many little bright sparks in the heavens, instead of glorious 
worlds inhabited, as we may take for granted by rational and 
intelligent beings, all engaged in celebrating their great Crea- 
tor's praise ! We know that God's works are perfect, and his 
ways unsearchable! Oh, dear M., my heart's desire is to see 
you a herald of the cross : yet do not hastily enter the ministry ! 
I beg of you, study well human nature — have a thorough know- 
ledge of yourself — ^be a sound theologian and judicious reasoner, 
that you ' may be able to give to every man a reason for the hope 
that is in you, ' and you know knowledge is power. Think what 
an awful responsibility is attached to the office of the ministry ; 
and how holy a minister's life should be, that he dishonour not 
Christ, or bring reproach on his cause. Weigh well these 
things in your mind. Do not imagine, because I write thus, I 
think you ignorant — far from it, it is only because I cannot con- 
verse with you, and I think we may incite each other to love and 
good works through the medium of faithful pointed letters. ' ' 

The following are extracts from her diary at the same 
period. 

" March 13. I trust that I am patient, yet long to hear from 
home. One gets very rusty out here. How important that our 
youthful years should be spent in storing our minds with know- 
ledge, and that our reading should be of a solid kind, rather 
than the light, trashy reading so common in the present day. I 
regret my thoughtlessness, and easy disposition. How I could 
prize now the privileges I once enjoyed. 

" How delightful to be a Christian, yet I often doubt if I am 
one, and trenible lest I should be resting on a false foundation. 



444 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

Christ appears more adorable and lovely to me I think every 
day, and when I look to him I am happy ; but oh, when I look 
within mj'^self — the corruption, the filth, and vileness of my 
black heart, I have reason to hide my guilty head ! 

"17. Saturday evening. Lovely evening, pleasant breeze 
from the north. I desire to grow in grace. I do love my Sa- 
viour more. Upon Tuesday night we had a very severe thun- 
der storm. I thought of the voice of God. Have thought 
much about home, yet no desire to return, I desire to work 
while it is called to-day, for the night cometh. Oh, that it would 
please Grod to permit me to do something ! Sometimes I long to 
be in heaven. Again, I see multitudes perishing around me, 
and desire to tell others of the love of Christ. 

' ' Thinking much about Tanna. I trust I am quite prepared 
to go back. I shrink not from the shadows flung across my 
pathway. In thee, Oh precious Saviour, I place all my confi- 
dence ! Increase my faith. Lord ! may I be enabled to glo- 
rify thee, whether by life or death ! 

"24. Time flying, another week flown. And oh, how little 
accomplished ! Upon Sabbath evening, th& Rarotongan teacher 
took an ill turn and lingered speechless and sufi"ering till Thursr 
day night, when death terminated his troubles. Oh, that we 
might profit by this sad warning ! 

" Read the Scriptures now with more pleasure than ever be- 
fore. Endeavouring to meditate more. Find it very hard to 
concentrate my thoughts upon any subject. Jesus ! if thou 
wilt not pity and rescue me, I must utterly sink into the pit. 
Lord ! i believe, help thou mine unbelief. Thy word is very 
pure, teach me to love it. Oh, that my ways were directed to 
thy statutes ! 

"31. Mr. Matheson enjoys very good health now. And we 
look forward to be at our station soon. Lord ! be thou the 
breaker up of our way. If thy presence go not with us, oh, let 
us not go ! 

April 10. A-^ery miserable, almost a sleepless night. God 
in heaven, thou knowest wherein I have erred ! I have sinned 
against thee, and am unworthy to enter thy service. Blessed 
be thy glorious name ; thou dealest not with us according to our 



RESIDENCE ON ERROMANGA. 445 

iniquities. Last year when Mr. Matheson was poorlj^ I did 
shrink from returning to Tanna, remembering what I had suf- 
fered before, and it was represented to me that we would injure 
the cause of Christ, and that I was not walking in the path of 
duty if I went. Grod ! my heart is laid open to thee ; thou 
knowest all my motives and my desires. ' If I have done ini- 
quity, I desire to do so no more,' but to walk before thee, 
meekly, humbly, and prudently, hating even the garment spotted 
by the flesh. To thee, I commit my way, undertake for me, 
Lord ! If it be thy holy will, that we again enter upon our la- 
bours on Tanna, oh, fit and prepare us ! Let thy presence go 
with us ; be ever near to us, Jesus ! in the dark and cloudy 
day. Thou knowest my heart, God ! I seek not ease or 
pleasure. I desire only to win souls to Christ, and glorify thy 
holy name!" 



38 



446 MEMOIR OP MR. AND MRS. MAJHESON. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

ItJESTIMPTIOJSr OF LABOUltS ON TANNA. 

In April, they removed to Tanna. Mr. M. was much 
better than he had been, but he was still so infirm that 
the other missionaries could not concur in the propriety 
of his undertaking the charge of a mission station still 
in its infancy, and on so rugged a field as Tanna. With 
the ideas of the natives regarding Christianity as the 
cause of sickness and death, it was extremely undesira- 
ble that its first representatives should be men of infirm 
health. The very fact itself was likely to produce an 
unfavourable impression. Besides the work involves an 
amount of labour, which would employ the energies of 
the most vigorous. Mr. Matheson's mind, from his com- 
plaint or complaints, for he seemed to have had a com- 
plication of disorders, was in such a state as in a great 
measure to render him unfit for such a charge. To gain 
the affections of such a people, a cheerful genial frank- 
ness of manner is very important, while the gloominess 
and irritability of the invalid must always tend to 
repel. Besides in his state of mind he was not capable 
of judging as to the. real state of matters or of deciding 
as to the wisest plans to be adopted, and acting with that 
judiciousness, which is a prime necessity to a successful 



RESUMPTION OF LABOURS ON TANNA. 447 

missionary among that class of people. It would be 
vain to profess that while in this state he conducted the 
mission with either the efficiency or the wisdom that 
he would have done under other circumstances. 

Since they left intelligence had been frequently received 
from Tanna. The death of Mrs. Paton and child, and 
the sickness of Mr. Matheson gave a great shock to the 
mission. A great loss was also sustained in the death 
of Nohoat. "He was," says M., "of very great ser- 
vice to us with regard to our settlement upon Tanna. 
He paid many visits to Tanna and went about talking 
to the people, trying, as he said, ' to make their hearts 
soft,' and much good I have no doubt resulted from his 
visits. He had spent a great part of his life upon 
Tanna, and seemed to have much influence.' 

There had been a good deal of sickness among the 
natives, and previous to the 14th October, Mr. Paton 
had had 14 attacks of fever and ague. Still he laboured 
on, and not without some encouragement. Dr. Turner, 
who visited the island in October, was able to point out 
in a number of particulars, how much more encoura- 
ging the prospects of the mission were than when he re- 
sided on Tanna. 

At Mr. M's. station matters were in a more favoura- 
ble state. His house and property had been left 
untouched, and the people were anxious for his re- 
turn so that another missionary might be settled among 
them. Taura, a chief of that neighbourhood, hav- 
ing visited Aneiteum, returned with glowing accounts 
of what he had seen, and afterward proved a friend of 
the mission as long as the missionaries remained on the 
island. 



448 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

Mr. M., however, entered upon his work with an en- 
ergy which must always be regarded as a striking proof 
of the power of the mind over the body. He main- 
tained worship regularly on Sabbath, and on week days. 
He endeavoured to form schools for the purpose of in- 
structing them in reading, to translate portions of Scrip- 
ture and some small manuals, which he had printed on 
Aneiteum. He visited round among surrounding villa- 
ges as he was able. To these labours were added the 
rebuilding of his house on a hill, as he believed that the 
lower situation was unhealthy. Mrs. M. entered upon 
her work with great joy. She had felt it keenly as a 
privation to be unemployed in mission work, and she 
now felt herself in the sphere which she desired. The 
burden upon her, considering that she was far from be- 
ing robust, was heavy. Household work and household 
care, particularly in Mr. M.'s state of health, would 
have been thought by many more than enough of itself 
for her strength. But not contented with this she de- 
voted herself to the proper missionary work. She ga- 
thered such girls around her as she could, though often 
the number was small. She instructed them in reading 
and sewing, and especially sought to instil into their 
minds religious truth. She talked to others, as she had 
opportunity, of their conduct and of the way of salva- 
tion, and she visited with Mr. M. as she could. She 
complains in her diary that she was making such slow 
progress with the language, but the other missionaries 
give her credit for having attained to a most creditable 
proficiency in it. But their work on the resumption of 
the mission will better appear by their correspondence, 



RESUMPTION OF LABOURS ON TANNA. 449 

from which we now make extracts. Mr. M. thus writes 
under date, May 14. 

"You will be pleased to learn that, in the good providence of 
God, we have again been permitted to return to our station upon 
Tanna. We left En-omanga on the morning of the 19th ult. 
and arrived at Port Resolution the following afternoon. Upon 
our arrival at Port Resolution we were pleased to find our much 
esteemed and worthy brother, Mr. Paton, in the enjoyment of 
excellent health. During the past season he has had very many 
many trials with which to contend from the hands of the na- 
tives. Several of the inland tribes have been at war with the 
harbour tribe among whom he is residing. The fighting has 
often been at his very door, and upon some occasions his life 
has been in imminent peril. At present the war is terminated 
— the harbour people seem to be friendly and say that they will 
not again go to war unless compelled to act in self-defence. 

"As regards the work upon this side of the island prospects 
are at present very dark and discouraging — ^more so than for 
some years past. Several circumstances have combined to lead 
to this sad state. Several of our most influential people still 
stand aloof from us, and doubtless exert a bad influence over 
many others who might be disposed to attend worship on the 
Sabbath-day. The first Sabbath after our return we had but 
nine men and twelve women at service, and last Sabbath fourteen 
men and about the same number of women as on the preceding 
day." 

Mrs. Matheson thus writes to her parents : 

" Tanna, April 23d, 1860. 
"I have lost nothing by being absent a year from our station, 
but rather gained. I have learned more of native habits and 
character, and having acquired a little of the Aneiteum language 
I find it very convenient to be able to speak to the Aneiteumese 
here, and having a little of the language of one island is like 
having a key to the whole, as their ideas are alike and expressed 
much in the same way, although there is no similarity in the 
language. You have no idea of the work upon Tanna. Were 
88 * 



450 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

I to write you about matters as they really are you would be 
uneasy and anxious. 

' ' Do not be discouraged at home if we cannot write to you in 
an encouraging manner. As far as we can judge, it will be a 
very long time before j^^ou can hear of such rapid progress as 
was made upon Aneiteum. We have a very different people to 
deal with, a people who say that, ' they hate Jehovah and his 
worship and will never become worshippers. ' Remember that 
Paul may plant and ApoUos water, but God alone can give the 
increase. We may labour a life-time here and not see the fruit 
of our labours. Grod only can change the hearts of his people. 
Remember the Tannese in your prayers. And, oh ! pray for us 
that we may not faint nor be weary but that we may have 
strength to persevere. 

"Yesterday being Sabbath, we visited some villages a little 
way in the interior, at which Mr. Paton conducted a short ser- 
vice. At one or two places we were well received, at others not 
so well as we could have wished. 

' ' Kuamera, May 3. Again at our own station. Mr. Paton 
very kindly brought us round in a boat. The day was fine and 
the sail pleasant. -We have been busy to-day and yesterday ar- 
ranging and making our house comfortable. Although those 
who used to profess to be our friends, have not shown them- 
selves so friendly as formerly, yet we are not discouraged. Grod 
will bless his own cause here. We only require to exercise faith, 
to rely upon and hope in his word, for he has said that ' Christ 
shall have the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost 
parts of the earth for his possession. ' There is not one native 
of this island as yet who has proper ideas of the true Grod. 
You cannot fancy what heathenism is — and cannibalism, what a 
dreadful thought ! Man killing and eating his brother-man. 
Their practices are most revolting. They live in small filthy 
houses, but their plantations display a great deal of taste and 
ingenuity. Food is abundant here. We give fish-hooks, beads, 
&c., in exchange for food. They are also very fond of strips of 
red cloth for tying their hair. Nearly every man has a toma- 
hawk, and very many of them have muskets, which they get 
from the foreigners, in exchange for pigs, yams. &c. Almost 



RESUMPTION OP LABOURS ON TANNA. 451 

all the men smoke, and many of them are perfect slaves to their 
pipes. 

" Do not be uneasy if I do not write to you as frequently as I 
have been accustomed to do. We will have fewer opportunities 
here for some time, and the way between here and Port Resolu- 
tion is closed up by land. It is not safe for the teachers to go 
from or come here except by water. There has been war here 
lately, in which this and the surrounding districts have been en- 
gaged, but we found all our articles and house perfectly safe, 
just as we had left them. 

" Were it not for the promises our work would indeed seem 
hopeless. I assure you I read with a deeper interest Isaiah, 
chapters 35, 41, 42, &c. Pray much for us. Sometimes it 
seems hard to be separated from you all ; again I feel that if I 
were instrumental in bringing even one soul to Jesus, I would be 
more than repaid. One moment in heaven will amply compen- 
sate for all we have suffered here. Oh, dear ones, let us live 
only for eternit}'^ ! One week amid the monotony of those 
islands would teach you that there is nothing else worth living 
for. We only exist here a short time. There we must live for 
ever, either in happiness and glory unspeakable or in woe the 
depths of which no heart can conceive. ' ' 

TO HER MOTHER. 

" Tamia, May 1st, 1860. 
' ' Will you believe that a year has passed since the date of 
your last letters received in November ? How I weary to hear 
from you. To-day I have been reading over all late letters ; they 
are such happy ones. Yes, to me leaving home was a sacrifice, 
the cost of which I alone know. Mine was a very, very 
happy childhood, and sometimes I pine for a breath of my na- 
tive air, for a glimpse of those I love more dearly than aught 
of earth. Again I remember, ' He that loveth father or mother 
more than'^me is not worthy of me, and he that taketh not up 
his cross and followeth after me cannot be my disciple. ' Fare- 
well then, scenes of youth and loved ones. Where Jesus leadeth, 
that is home to me. But I must tell you that I have been sick, 
lest you should hear of it in a worse form from other sources. 



452 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

I am better, but weak. Ob, it is easy to be sick at borne, wbere 
you bave a Toving motber and kind nurses rivalling eacb otber 
in tbeir attentions to you — wbere you bave tbe comforts of life, 
tbe visits and prayers of "faitbful pastors ! It is so different bere 
wbere everytbing depends on one's self. I bope tbe dear girls 
will never be strangers in a strange land, althougb tbey cannot 
expect to be always witb mamma. You will be glad to bear tbat 
Mr. Matbeson enjoys excellent bealtb. He is not entirely witb- 
out attention, for I have baked in bed and have never allowed 
bim to be without a little bread. Our provisions, you know, 
were ruined by tbe hurricane. All the flour we have bad for 
some months past has been kept in a large pot, and, like tbe 
widow of Zarep bath's, it seems to bold out until another supply 
shall come. 

' ' I bope your ladies' society is still prospering. Do not be 
discouraged if we do not write encouraging letters. Satan will 
not readily relinquish bis hold upon these people. Ob, no ! tbe 
struggle may be long and severe ; let us bave your prayers. ' ' 

TO HER BROTHER. 



u 



" Tanna, May 7tb, 1860. 
Ob, it is pleasant to be again at work ! You know not, my 
dear boy, tbe trials and difficulties of missionary life. How 
wisely tbe future is bid from our view. Did we know beforehand 
all that would befall us by tbe way, we would be ready to recoil 
from tbe work. But with our trials seems to come the strength 
to bear them. Why is it tbat we are so unwilling to labour for 
Him who gave bis life a ransom for us ? What can we endure 
tbat Christ has not suffered for us already ? Let his love for us 
constrain us not to live unto ourselves but unto him who loved 
us and gave himself for us. 

"We left brother Grordon at Erromanga in tbe 'Blue Bell,' and 
in those coral seas, which the poets say never ruffle, were tossed 
about for two nights and part of two days, only think, not losing 
sight of either island. AVe were kindly welcomed to Port Reso- 
lution by Mr, Paton. He brought us round in the large boat. 
Old Nouhar, one of tbe chiefs at tbe harbour, with a few other 
Tannese came witb us. He sat in the bow of tbe boat paddling 



RESUMPTION OF LABOURS ON TANNA. 453 

away with all his might, and with ruj^ old brown hat on his head, 
he made a very comical-looking figure-head. Mr. Paton re- 
turned early next morning. Things seem gloomy, but you 
know the darkest hour is just before the dawn. I do not feel 
discouraged. I know that Grod will bless his own cause on this 
island — that every tongue shall yet confess that Jesus is Lord. ' ' 

TO HER MOTHER. 

" Tanna, May 14th, 1860. 

" Why do I write you this morning, except it be that I could 
write to you daily, for often does inclination prompt me ? I 
dreamed last night that I was among you all. Oh, what would 
life be to me away from those I love were it not for the glorious 
work in which I am engaged ! Yes, glorious it is, dear mother, 
and daily does my love for it increase, and my heart become 
more and more interested, notwithstanding the increasing diffi- 
culties with which we have to contend. Oh, how ' can we whose 
souls are lighted' see multitudes suflFering and perishing daily, 
and not tell them of Him who came to save us from our lost and 
ruined condition ? Why is it that we have been so much more 
happilj^ situated than they? You know not, you cannot think 
of the miserj^ and degradation of heathenism. I always feel for 
the natives so, in wet, cold weather especially. If they are sick 
they have no comforts like us, no warm houses or clothing. The 
natives here, as yet, are afraid of medicine. Once or twice they 
have ventured to bring a baby, who was supposed to be d3"'ing. 
The first who was brought, happily, recovered. Oh. to be able 
to speak to them ! I am making progress in the language, but 
not so much as I would like. They have no idea of a Creator. 
They say that they made all things. We have not school yet 
since our return, as they are feasting just now, the yams being 
in season. They spend a great part of their time in dancing and 
singing their heathen songs, &c., and many make themselves 
quite ill with dancing, shouting, &c. 

" I wrote to you very frequently from Erromanga. Here it 
is so difficult to write, I have so many things to think about. 
Every day seems to bring its own work and difficulties, yet amid 
all, we have many encouragements. 



454 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

"Yesterday, Sabbath, ob, bow much I tbougbt about you 
all ! I bad four little girls in tbe bouse, trying to tell tbem 
sometbing about Jesus. I said, ' Wbo loves Jesus ?' Tbey an- 
swered, ' We all, we all love Jesus. ' Poor little dark-hearted 
creatures ! Tbey know him not to love him. The attendance 
upon Sabbath is not good, but we cannot expect a good attend- 
ance just now, while the people are feasting. Mr. M. keeps 
very well. 

' ' We have such a nice boat ! The natives are (^uite delighted 
with it, and it makes us of more importance in their estimation. 
Do excuse this badly written letter, but I just take advantage 
of a wet morning, when no natives are about. When they come 
into the house, I have to sit and watch them, lest they steal.* " 

TO HER BROTHER. 

''Tanna, May 30, 1860. 

"Never offer yourself for a missionary until you are thoroughly 
educated, and then choose your own field. When will people 
learn that one placed on an isolated island among heathen, with- 
out society, instead of progressing in knowledge, is every day 
losing what he has acquired, if he does not apply himself, which 
few missionaries whose hearts and hands are engrossed with the 
work have time to do ? 

" Never offer yourself to any society until you have pondered 
well the subject — until you have counted the cost — until you feel 
that you can give up home, comforts, privileges, and advantages, 
and take up the cross and follow after Jesus. It becomes me 
not to speak of trials, for I have been touched but lightly. Yet 
there are times when it is pleasant to look back to the motives 
that induced us to enter this work. If they have been from 
pure love to Christ and a desire to serve him, then we feel a 
happiness otherwise unknown. If for a name, romance, or any 
other worldly motive, we find ourselves sadly mistaken ; and if 
our hearts are not truly interested in the work, we cannot expect 
to enjoy much happiness in it. You know not what heathenism 
is. You know not what a dark, degraded people we have to 

* The stealing from which they suffered was generally by unfriendly 
natives from some distance. 



RESUMPTION OF LABOURS ON TANNA. 455 

deal with. Well may they be levelled with the brutes, for they 
seem only to fight, eat, and sleep. Yet those people have souls 
—never-dying souls — and the missionary who dwells among them 
must witness scenes and listen to language from which he once 
would have recoiled. In speaking of the work anywhere, it is 
not what man does, but what God does. Oh, how little we can 
do ! and daily do we feel our helplessness. 

But we trust the day is breaking — 
Joyful times are near at hand — 

God, the migbty God, is speaking 
By his word in every land. 

When he chooses, 
Darkness flies at his command. 

May the day soon dawn here ! Pray for the Tannese. . My 
heart is more than ever interested in this glorious work. 

"The people here are feasting. They seem to like me, not- 
withstanding my being a woman, and have invited us to see 
them feasting and dancing day after to-morrow. ' ' 

TO HER MOTHER. 

" Tanna^ June 5, 1860. 
" Do not, I beg of you, ever be uneasy about me. I love this 
work, I love this people, and I know that many of them who 
come about us love me. We took a walk some four miles in the 
interior to-day ; and you should have seen how gallantly our 
young chief, Kapuku, assisted me over the difficult places. Al- 
though I write thus highly about him, he is very dark-hearted ; 
Dut I think he desires to know what is right. We are trying to 
prevail upon him to come and live on our premises. His young 
wife, Wymo, is a lovely girl. She has been ill for a long time, 
and is very much reduced. For some time past she has been 
living in the yard, but we cannot get her persuaded to take 
medicine. Oh ! when will superstition be removed, the ' idols 
thrown to the moles and to the bats,' and this people be found 
clothed and in their right minds? How long, Lord, how 
long? 



456 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

' ' Our friends at home are very kind, and I know will be glad 
to give us what we ask for ; but oh, we need their prayers ! The 
work is scarcely begun. The devil reigns triumphant, and I 
doubt there will be a severe struggle before his kingdom is 
shaken here ; but Grod is all-sufficient, the work is his, and surely 
he will bless our humble endeavours. Only in so far as God 
works with us can we expect to prosper. We have not yet com- 
menced school. Mr. Paton is preparing a little book which we 
expect will soon be completed. Mr. Paton is a faithful mission- 
ary. He has many annoyances from which we escape, owing to 
his residence at the harbour. The natives who come in contact 
with foreigners are very rude and saucy. Traders have, until 
lately, been afraid to come to this side of the island ; but now 
they come frequently, to the great joy of the people, who love 
tobacco. Some persons, who wished to turn the missionary 
to account, said, the other day, that it would be good for us to 
write to these foreigners to come here frequently and bring 
plenty of tobacco. Delightful it is to hear of the outpouring of 
Grod's Spirit in so many places. I trust that we too shall be 
visited, and that many of this degraded people shall be given to 
Christ for his inheritance. You cannot think what a trial it is 
at first not to be able to speak to the people. I have great 
hopes of one or two men, if we had the word of God to put into 
their hands. I have tried in vain, as yet, to get some little 
girls to remain in the premises. I have had the promise of one 
or two — but they are so lotb to give up their vile practices. ' ' 

In June, as related in the preceding memoir, Mr. and 
Mrs. Johnston arrived at Aneiteum; and all the mis- 
sionaries (under which title we include females engaged 
in the work as well as males) proceeded thither to con- 
sult as to his location. On her return, Mrs. M. thus 
writes from Port Resolution: 

"We enjoj^ed exceedingly our short visit to Aneiteum. The 
church is very handsome, and would do credit to more civilized 
workmen. May God continue to prosper the work on that 



RESUMPTION OF LABOURS ON TANNA. 457 

island. It is the day of small things with us. The Tannese ma- 
nifest little or no desire for the word of God. Thej^ wish to live 
and die as their fathers did. Yet we are not without a 
little encouragement. Kapuku, our chief, of whom I spoke in 
our last letter, accompanied us to Aneiteum. I hope the evi- 
dences of what the gospel has wrought there will encourage him 
to persevere. A few seem almost persuaded to become Chris- 
tians, but no one has courage to come forward and declare him- 
self upon the Lord's side. Thej^ think our religion very good 
for old people and those who are dying. The Tannese believe 
in the existence of a great evil spirit whom they call ' Karapa- 
naraun,' and say he lives on the top of the highest hill on the 
island, which is in or near the centre, and can be distinctly seen 
from all parts. Cease not to pray that the light may arise and 
shine, that the people may no longer say, 'Where is their Grod?' 
All is midnight darkness now, but the day cometh ; let us watch 
and pray for it. 

" We hope (D. Y. ) to go home to-morrow. We soon become 
attached to one spot, and love to call it home, though there is 
no place to which our hearts cling so fondly as the home of our 
childhood. When the ties which bind us to that are severed, 
then we feel that we are indeed pilgrims, and are led more ear- 
nestly to seek that rest of which it is said there will be no more 
going out. May we all meet in heaven, the Christian's home. 
Please thank the kind friends for me who have given me so 
many valuable presents. May we soon be able to cheer their 
hearts by telling them what Grod is doing for this people." 

TO HER MOTHER. 

" Tanna, July 31, 1860. 

'• Mrs. P.'s handsome present I have given to our chief Ka- 
puku. Oh ! dear mamma, you cannot imagine how delightful it 
is to see him, so attentive, and behaving so nicely, as he is doing 
at present, and infiuencing ^o many others. May God give him 
grace and strength to persevere, and oh, may we soon have the 
word of life to put in his hands ! 

"Aug. 1. We are progi'essing, though not as fast as we could 
wish, the language is such a hindrance. T trust we shall soon 
39 



458 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATIIESON. 

overcome that difficulty. Two little girls are now living in the 
yard. One, an interesting, bright eyed little thing. She wears 
a nice upper garment, which she has made herself, and petticoat 
of the pandanus leaf, combs her hair and has quite a civilized 
appearance. The other has not courage to overcome prejudice 
yet. and adopt a proper covering, in place of their own, which 
consists merely of a strip before and behind, which, when the 
wind blows they might as well be without. As they grow older, 
this covering is enlarged, and when old, women wear a regular 
petticoat ; but oh ! they are so filthy, and it is so disgusting to see 
them blackened and greased, and their faces painted red and 
black." 

TO HER BROTHER. 

Tanna, Aug. 17, 1860. 
"Would that I had the wings of a dove, to pay you a visit 
this evening. How much more pleasant than the meagre news 
of a letter. Do not think that because I have written to you to 
look aijd consider well other fields of missionary labour that I am 
averse to your coming here. Oh ! no, far from it. If this be 
your choice, come ; who will rejoice more than I. Yet I feared that 
you thought of those islands, because sister Mary is there, and I 
have written to you plainly that you may not be disappointed, 
should you ever conae. Is not this right ? Count well the cost 
dear W., before you offer yourself as missionary. Can you give 
up the comforts, privileges and advantages of civilized life, 
among other things, society, to come far hence to the gentiles, 
to labour amid squalid, filthy, degraded people, levelled I had 
almost said with the brutes? If you can, it will be because you 
have ' respect unto the recompense of the reward,' and he that 
hath ' left father or mother, or houses or lands for my.sake and 
the gospel's,' shall in no wise lose his reward. And who would 
not? Oh ! Willie, it is a glorious work. Strange, is it not, that 
it is given to such vile creatures as we, to be workers together 
with him. ' Even so Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.' 
Pray dear W. that I may be fitted for it, that every necessaiy 
qualification .may be given me. God often chooses to work by 
weak instruments. andsurelvT am one of the weakest. Be firm, 



RESUMPTION OF LABOURS ON TANNA. 459 

dear, in the path of duty. Never swerve in the least from it. All 
we say, think, or do, is known to our Father in heaven, and our 
good deeds are not unobserved by him. Let us endeavour to 
work, not as men pleasers, but doing the will of God from the 
heart. There is but one path that leads to Grod. All others lead 
astray. May we be found walking in that path, and striving to 
enter in at the strait gate, for it is said that ' Many shall seek to 
enter in, but shall not be able." 

' ' Your question, as to what we live upon, is very easily an- 
swered, pigs, fowls, fish — eggs if we can get them, goats' milk 
and goats' flesh, yams, tai*o, sweet potatoes, bread-fruit, (when in 
season it is soft, yellow and porous, not unlike pound cake in its 
appearance ; ) bananas ; but we require acquired tastes for nearly 
all tropical fruits and vegetables. I can only compare the ap- 
pearance of taro to castile soap, mottled. 

" Kapuku says he will write to you some day. He writes on 
the slate and makes nice figures. Pray for the Tannese. Now 
our Lord Jesus Christ himself and Grod, even our Father, who 
hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good 
hope through grace, comfort your heart and stablish you in 
every good word and work, and 2 Thess. i. 11, 12. is the prayer 
of your loving sister. " 

The general state of the mission work at this station 
is thus described in a letter of Mr. Matheson's of the 
14th Aug. 

' ' The external prospects of the mission upon this island are 
apparently beginning to brighten, but none have as yet given 
any decided evidence of their having embraced the gospel. 
Some two or three profess to have renounced some of the worst 
and most disgusting abominations of heathenisni — one of whom 
is the young chief of the district in which we reside. He has 
been living in the yard during the last six weeks, and his conduct 
has been most exemplary. He says he is anxious to know the 
word of Grod, and embraces every opportunity of communicating 
to others what little knowledge he has himself acquired. His wife 
died shortly after he came to live with us, and he consented to 



4G0 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

liiive her buried. Their usual practice is to throw their dead into 
the sea, and then some of the usual heathenish ceremonies are 
performed — such as kindhng a fire and keeping it burning seve- 
ral hours for the purpose of keeping the devil from stealing her 
spirit. After the fire has been burning sufficiently long in their 
estimation to cause the devil to give up all hope of being suc- 
cessful, and to go and seek his prey in some other quarter, they 
destroy all the property formerly belonging to the deceased ; 
the live stock, which consists principally of pigs and fowls, is 
given to the nearest relations to be immediately killed to furnish 
food for a feast, the number of guests being in proportion to the 
quantity of food. According to Tanna etiquette the young chief 
was the person by whom the fire should have been kindled, the 
property distributed, the feast made, and the guests invited, but 
he took no part in any of the proceedings and countenanced them 
only by his presence. 

Yaresi and Namaka are still professedly friendly. But as to the 
latter I would not object to see some more substantial evidence 
of his friendship before placing much confidence in his profes- 
sion. He attends church occasionally, but has not renounced 
any of his heathenish practices. His youngest son is at present 
very ill, apparently dying. I heard of his illness last week, and 
also that his father had suspected a certain young man as the 
cause of his son's trouble. This youth he intended to kill, if the 
child should not recover. I spoke very plainly to the old man 
about the sinfulness of such conduct, told him that Grod only had 
the power of inflicting disease, that we must all die very soon, 
&c. He seemed willing enough to admit the probability of our 
dying some time, but he did not feel satisfied that God only has 
the power of killing and making alive. To admit the latter 
would be a very serious infringement upon the rights of a Tanna 
man, and a robbing him of a glory to which he feels himself 
justly entitled. I have just heard that they do not expect the 
child to survive to-day, and Namaka has suspected another 
young man in addition to the former, both of whom he has 
ordered to be killed upon the death of his child. This son, if 
spared, was to have succeeded him as chief, consequently his 



RESUMPTION OF LABOURS ON TANNA. 461 

death will cause more excitement than if he had only been a 
common child. 

" The attendance at worship on Sabbath-daj'^ is steadily increas- 
ing. Yesterday there were twenty males present, which was an 
increase of some four or five upon any preceding Sabbath. In 
the morning we have worship at our own station, after which I 
itinerate during the remainder of the day. In going inland we 
have no stated places of meeting. Sometimes we go in one di- 
rection, and, if we are sufficiently fortunate to come upon some 
three or four persons unobserved, have a short service with them, 
and proceed until we come to sOme other village or fall upon some 
other party, all of whom we generally find as busily engaged on 
the Lord's day as on any other day in the week, some fencing, 
some housebuilding, some preparing yam mounds, &c. The 
shore women spend the Sabbath fishing, and the inland women 
making plantations. This is still the day of small things, but in 
the midst of our trials and our difficulties we have our encour- 
agements and our hopes. ' ' 

The event referred to in the above letter Mrs. Mathe- 
son describes more fully in a letter of date August 24. 

' ' We have been visiting some distant districts to-day. The 
walk is very fatiguing, as there are no roads here such as we 
have at home, merely footpaths, and we have sometimes to 
clamber over rocks, sometimes to cross streams and beds of 
rivers. A strange feeling creeps over one while visiting places 
where the foot of white man never before trod. If the stones 
could speak, what dark, horrifying tales they might tell of scenes 
of bloodshed, and sins of which it is a shame even to speak ! This, 
dearest M. , is one of the dark places of the earth. There are 
people here who pretend to make wind, rain, to cause disease, 
&c. 

"Namaka, a celebrated chief, had a lovely, promising little 
boy, the pride and darling of his old age, who, in the course of 
time, was to have inherited the chiefship. Lately he became 
sick and died. The natives suppose that nobody dies a natural 
death. Some person has brought disease, or done something, 
and the spirits are angry. Day after day Namaka visited the 
39 * 



462 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

neighbouring districts, to discover, if possible, wbo was bringing 
this illness to his child. He would not be convinced by all that 
Mr. M. or I said to him. He requested that Nohoat should be 
buried in our yard, to which we agreed ; so, after a nice little 
coffin had been made, and the body placed in it, some persons 
went from here and brought it, and we buried him by moon- 
light, on account of the excitement occasioned by his death. 
What a strange group we seemed — so many savages sitting 
armed on the ground, the women wailing, and the little rough 
box containing the remains of this promising child, lying waiting 
to be conveyed to its final resting-place. Wild, angry clouds 
were flitting across the sky, sometimes hiding the struggling 
moonbeams from our view. Naught broke the deathlike still- 
ness that reigned, save the occasional wail of the women. Oh, 
how it saddened our hearts to think that the little one knew not 
of Jesus — of him who said, ' Suffer the little children to come 
unto me ! ' 

"Just as all was over, some one said, There is Namaka. He 
had remained at home, not wishing to see his child buried ; but 
not being able to restrain his feelings, followed. He was a per- 
fect picture of grief. After prayer he seemed more resigned, 
and we little thought he was determining revenge upon the man 
who he supposed had destroyed his child. The next night, he, 
in company with others, cruelly murdered a poor man, and threw 
him into the sea, not far from our house. War ensued. All 
the villages, property, and food in that district have been de- 
stroyed, and every one of the Anuikaraka people have fled. 
Old Yaresi, who knew nothing of what had been done, was on 
his way to our house, but being told on the way, turned about 
and fled with the rest. However, about midday on Sabbath, 
we were rejoiced to see him back, and he intends to remain at 
Anuikaraka. The work of destruction is still being carried on, 
but, through Yaresi' s influence, will not come near us. Yes- 
terday was a day of excitement among the natives, but we had 
nothing to fear. We know who has said, ' Lo, I am with you 
alway. ' 

"Grod has raised up friends for us among this dark people. 
The enemy is very busy. Surely he is afraid of his kingdom 



RESUMPTION OF LABOURS ON TANNA. 463 

here, which I trust will soon be destroyed b}' the King of kings. 
You know nothing of the darkness of the hearts of these people. 
Every day brings its own little difficulties and trials ; but let us 
never be discouraged. He who has protected us when our ene- 
mies were raging, has surely some work for us to do. ' If God 
be for us, who can be against us?' Christ shall have the hea- 
then for his inheritance, and reign until all his enemies are put 
under his feet. 

" Oh who would live alway in this world ! Here all our joys 
are imperfect, every pleasure mixed with pain. Here are sor- 
rowings and partings. What a happy thought, that there is a 
bright world prepared for us, that we have only to cross the 
Jordan of death, to enter into its perfect joys. TMre there is 
nothing to make the heart sad, there we shall be clad in white 
robes, and taught to sing the song of Moses and the Lamb. Let 
us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into 
this rest, SiHj of us should come short of it. Let us stand, 
having our loins girt about with truth, and our lamps burning. 
Do not think because I write thus, that I think I am good or fit 
even to speak of such things. Far from it ; I fear that I cannot 
lay claim to the name of Christian. We are apt to grow cold 
and careless out here ; to dream away life. There is so much 
sameness in the events of every day. Sometimes I long for the 
wings of a dove, that I might peep in at you all, and see you 
just as you are, but I feel quite contented and happy at the post 
of duty. Only it is a gteat trial to be separated from you all. 
Were it not for the hope of meeting in a better world, how could 
we bear it." 

TO HER MOTHER. 

" Tanna, Oct. 5, 1860. 
"I have written to you verj'' frequently since our return to 
Tanna, much more so than I shall be able to do during the in- 
coming season. Perhaps I do not write as fully about the work 
and the state of matters here as you would like. But the fact is 
I wish to write truthfully. I wish to make no statements, that 
might afterward be contradicted ; and one day prospects may 



464 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

look very pleasing, tlie next all dark and gloomy. A few weeks 
since, I might have written to you about our flourishing school 
of boys and girls. Now it has dwindled away, but we hope after 
plantation work is over it may revive. . 

"You seem concerned about my visit to Erromanga.. I do 
not regret it. There I had not much to do, and plenty of time to 
think. Of course my thoughts were much about home, but I 
trust I learned to be more content and happy in any situation. 
Could we ever bear in mind that it is Grod who disposes all 
things concerning us, fewer would be our murmurings and re- 
pinings when all is not just as we would wish. The work here 
is upon the whole rather encouraging, but oh! we have such 
dark hearts to deal with, so much superstition and so many vile 
practices to battle with. Looking at ourselves we say, ' Who is 
sufficient for these things. ' Looking upward, we hear a voice 
saying, ' My grace is sufficient for thee. ' I will make this peo- 
ple ' willing in the day of my power. ' And so they shall be. 
Let us pray more and more earnestly for this happy period. 
Wrestle with Grod for the salvation of these people. 

"This is Saturday, and I am alone. Mr. M. is up on the hill 
putting the house together. It was taken apart, as Mr. M. 
imagines that its situation was not healthy. It is so near to us 
that we can hear calling upon the hill quite distinctly at the sea- 
side. I generally set apart Saturday evening to prepare for 
Sabbath, but surely a few moments will not be misspent in 
writing to my dear mamma. I feel so much at home to-night, 
and why ? Instead of sitting in the big lime house, without any 
fire, I am comfortably (! ) seated in a native house, which I shall 
describe. Its length I cannot exactly give. It is not any longer 
than our large room, and not so wide. The ground is spread 
with coral upon which mats are laid. In the centre a little hole 
is made, and a fire kindled. As there is no opening for the 
smoke to escape, you may imagine that we get more than an 
agreeable share of it. We have a little portion partitioned off 
for ourselves, while Kapuku and the little girls and Yiavia 
and wife live in the other end. So you see we are in the midst 
of the natives, and it is the chattering and merry laugh of the 
little girls, that makes me feel so much at home to-night. You 



RESUMPTION OF LABOURS ON TANNA. 4G5 

caiiDoi think liow much I miss society. Having had little sis- 
ters and brother, I like to be among the natives. I am hap- 
piest then, and I do love them. It has been remarked by mis- 
sionaries' wives that you may feel interested in natives, without 
becoming attached to them, but I cannot fancy how that can be. 
We are here not to keep them down in their former state, but to 
raise, elevate them, (which the gospel only can do,) teach them 
to live here in preparation for another world, where we hope to 
meet with them, where there are no distinctions in colour or 
class. Poor Tannese, I fear their days of independence are 
nearly over. As soon as this island has been opened up by the 
gospel, probably the white man will take possession, and the 
poor natives die out. 

TO HER BROTHER. 

" Tanna^ October 16. 

" I have three little girls between the ages of ten and thirteen, 
all betrothed, names Kavila, Kopia, and Umaitahak, the latter 
a dear little girl and very great assistance. We had a nice num- 
ber of young men in attendance at our morning class until plan- 
tatioii work began. Since then school is almost 'broken up. 
The language is still the great barrier. I am making a little 
progress. I speak both in Aneiteumese and Tannese every day. 

"Doesn't life seem strange to you now, the daj^s so much 
shorter, the months, the years and time, time flying on so 
quickly ? And now, my darling brother, adieu. 

TO HER MOTHER. 

" Tanna, October 24, 1860. 
"We visit among the people now as the way opens up. I 
like visiting very much. The people in general receive us 
kindly, and are becoming more friendly. Indeed we have much 
reason to thank Grod and take courage ; and oh ! when I think 
of the many tokens of Grod's favour we experience, I blush to 
think that we are so unworthy, so unfit to be engaged in this 
high and holy service. I often wonder if I shall be permitted 
to see any of these poor degraded creatures, sitting ai the foot 



466 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

of the cross, worshipping the true Jehovah in spirit and in 
truth. Grod only knows. This cause is his own. Oh, pray, 
pray for the Tannese. They too are passing away. Since we 
have returned many have died ; three lovely girls and three lit- 
tle boys among the number. I cannot help feeling sad, sad 
when the young die, and wishing that they might have been 
spared to learn of the truth as it is in Jesus. A dear little girl 
is sitting by me while I write, child-like, with a piece of paper 
and pen trying to write. Some of them write very well on the 
slate. Kapuku especially writes very nicely, and makes nice 
figures. The little girls sew very nicely ; one in particular often 
sews for me. I used to think when I first came I should be so 
pleased to see the natives clothed. Now I feel so difi"erently. 
The clothing is not of so much importance as the change of 
heart, though it is very necessary. Would that the truth, im- 
perfectly as yet it is known to them, might penetrate their 
darkened hearts. They do not seem to have any word for com- 
passion, and there seems to be no such emotion within them. 
There is no word expressive of gratitude. Both of these words 
exist in the Aneiteum language. 

"26. Since writing the former part of this letter we have 
come up the hill, native name Imoa. Every thing in nature is 
so lovely here, and such a monotony reigns around, that some- 
times I think I could dream away life, were it not for the awful 
wretchedness by which we are surrounded. Oh, .no ! no room 
for trifling here — no time to spend upon the body. Duty bids 
us be up and doing, for multitudes are perishing. ' Darkness 
covers the earth, and gross darkness the people.' How long, 
oh ! how long, shall the enemy triumph ! 

During this period Mrs. M. was generally too busy to 
write much in her diary. The entries which it contains 
show the same striving after conformity to the Saviour, 
and her deep interest in the mission. Sometimes she 
was much encouraged, at other times somewhat dis- 
couraged. But we have no space for extracts. 



TRIALS AND CALAMITIES. 467 



CHAPTER IX. 

TBIAT^S AND CALAMITIJES. 

Our last chapter showed the mission work on Tanna 
going on if with no bright indications of immediate suc- 
cess, yet with no particular discouragement, and even 
with some encouragement. These fair prospects were 
soon overclouded, and it pleased the Great Head of the 
Church to visit the Tanna mission with a series of tri- 
als, far surpassing any that had preceded it, and such 
as few missions in their early stages have been called to 
pass through. 

The first of this was the scourge of measles to which 
we have already referred. On Tanna we cannot say 
what proportion of the natives, but some hundreds in 
number died either from that disease itself, or the after 
results. It is certainly a singular dispensation of Di- 
vine Providence, that while the natives of this island 
have. such superstitious notions regarding Christianity 
as causing disease and death, hitherto almost every at- 
tempt to introduce Christianity among them has been 
followed by severe epidemics. It was so w^hen teachers 
were settled among them previously, by which we have 
seen the mission was more than once broken up. And 
now when the field was occupied by European raissiona- 



468 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

ries, and the kingdom of Satan appeared to be assailed 
with such vigour as to augur its early downfall, God 
was again pleased to try the mission on the very point 
on which they were most afraid, and to send disease 
more fatal than any that had preceded. Doubtless one 
design was to show our dependence on him for success, 
and to render the glory of success more conspicuous in 
being achieved in the face of the difficulties thus raised. 

When these savages lose their friends one of their 
strongest emotions is rage. They are ready in such 
cases to vent it upon any person or thing that may cross 
their path. In this way it is common for them on such 
occasions to destroy their own property. But more fre- 
quently as they regard disease as always caused by some 
person, they vent their wrath upon the supposed author 
of the calamity, just as Namaka did, as mentioned in 
the last chapter. When therefore they saw thei'r friends 
dying in such numbers, and the disease nearly universal, 
we need not wonder that their rage was unbounded, nor 
as they had so long regarded Christianity as the fore- 
runner of sickness, that their feelings should be strongly 
excited against the missionaries. 

The manner in which the disease was introduced 
served to confirm their impressions. A vessel called at 
Mr. Matheson's station with the measles on board. No 
mention was made of the fact, but on the contrary those 
in charge of her expressed to Mr. M. a wish that one 
of the great chiefs should come on board, professing 
that they had something to give him. Kati was not at 
hand, and Mr. M. referred them to Kapuku. The lat- 
ter consented to go on board, and was kept there some 
time. He was afterward landed some distance off, with- 



TRIALS AND CALAMITIES. 469 

out having received any- thing except the infection of 
the measles. Through Kapuku the disease was thus in- 
troduced into that part of the island, and as he resided 
on the mission premises, it is not wonderful that the 
rage of the heathen "was excited against the missionary. 
A vessel (we believe the same one) came about the same 
time to Port Resolution. There those in charge of her 
applied to the Aneiteumese teachers to take into their 
houses some Lifu men that were sick. In ignorance of 
the nature of the disease, and in charity for the afflicted, 
they consented. But the men landed were just dying 
from measles, and the Aneiteumese teachers took the 
disease, and some of them died from it. From them it 
spread among the natives. Thus in both cases through, 
the wickedness of white men, the Christian religion re- 
ceived the blame of introducing the disease. 

It is painful to say it, but there can scarcely be a 
doubt that it was introduced wilfully, not with the spe- 
cial view of injuring the natives, but with the view of 
getting the missionaries into trouble. This we know is 
a dreadful thing to say, but such an act would be quite 
in accordance with the character of many of the men, 
who trade among the islands. The white men who have 
visited these islands hitherto, have been chiefly engaged 
in the sandal-wood trade. This wood is used by the 
Chinese for burning in their temples, as it is odoriferous, 
and also for the manufacture of various fancy articles. 
Many of those hitherto engaged in the business have 
been the vilest of men. Upon the natives they have 
practised every form of oppression and cruelty, some- 
times taking natives oif one island and selling them for 
40 



470 MEMOIll or MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

wood on another where they would doubtless be killed 
and eaten. 

Then think of their having a regular trade in women, 
perhaps purchasing for some tobacco to a chief, or 
a musket, choice young women of a land to be kept on 
hoard these vessels for the basest purposes. 

Many of the atrocities formerly prevalent have been 
arrested through the representations of the missionaries, 
and the vigorous interpositions of British men of war. 
A better class of men, too, are now engaged in the 
trade, and to some of these the missionaries have been 
deeply indebted. But there still remains enough evil 
doing to excite the most bitter hostility of many of them 
against the missionaries. Hitherto the worst that mis- 
sionaries have ever suffered in these islands has been 
from the misconduct of white men, sometimes indirectly 
from the natives not understanding the difference be- 
tween the two, at others directly by their instigating 
the natives against the missionaries. Instances have 
been known of their urging the poor savages to drive 
the latter away by promises of tobacco and other arti- 
cles. At the time referred to, there can be no doubt 
that some of our own countrymen tried to persuade the 
natives that Christianity was the cause of the dis- 
ease. 

As we have seen, all was excitement through the 
island, and even the lives of the missionaries were in 
danger. For a time their efforts with the natives were 
almost broken up, and the whole time was occupied with 
relieving the wants of the sick. Their labours in this 
way doubtless in some measure softened the prejudices 
of some of the people, but many still remained hostile. 



TRIALS AND CALAMITIES. 471 

We subjoin extracts of correspondence during this try- 
ing period. 

Mr. M. thus writes under date January 2, 1861. 

" Some six weeks ago, however, measles broke out upon this 
side of the island, from the effects of which many have suffered 
and are still suffering. Kapuku, who had been living with us 
for some time, was the first taken ill His friends endeavoured, 
and that too effectually, to persuade him that we were the cause 
of the sickness, and that, if he still continued to live with us. 
they would all die. He at length jdelded to their oft-repeated 
entreaties and left us — more from fear of being killed, I think, 
than from an^^ fear about us causing the sickness. He knew 
that if the disease should spread, and if the chiefs should at- 
tribute it to the new religion, according to their custom some 
one or more of our professedly worshipping people should be 
killed, and none more likely than himself, as he had declared 
himself most favourable to us. The disease did spread, and, as 
we feared, the new religion got the credit of it. They agreed 
to kill one young man, but he escaped in a trading boat, which 
fortunately happened to be in the harbour when they were in 
pursuit of him. For some time previous to the breaking out of 
the measles their open hatred and their violent opposition to the 
gospel, and everj^thing connected with it, were becoming daily 
more and more apparent. Taking our lives excepted, they re- 
sorted to every imaginable expedient to have us flee, or at least 
to say nothing more to them about the new religion. When 
taken ill they declared that I had smitten them with the mea- 
sles, in order to be revenged on them for having recently stolen 
from us with such a high hand. Their being all sick, and my 
health having never before been so good on Tanna, confirmed 
their suspicion. This, as you may naturally suppose, added 
fresh fuel to the flame, and increased the hitherto apparently 
boundless rage of the infuriated natives. But what could they 
do ? They were every soul, man, woman and child, prostrated, 
and not one had any power to lift a hand against us. Their rage 
on that occasion surpassed everything that I had ever before 
witnessed, but that Grod who can set restraining bounds to the 



472 MEMOIR OE MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

wrath of man, and who can ever cause it to redound to his own 
praise, has, after permitting the enemy to vent his wrath upon 
us to a certain extent, restrained the remainder of that wrath." 

And again under date February 1. 

' ' During the month of January, our average male attendance 
has been nine and a quarter, three of whom were children. 
Fifty-seven on this side of the island have died of the after con- 
sequences of the measles, such as inflammation of the lungs, 
inflammatory sore throat, &c. One woman committed suicide 
in order to accompany her recently deceased husband to the 
world of spirits, preferring to die by her own hand rather than 
submit to the cruel torture and death which she knew awaited 
her. Two women were killed, their bodies exhibited at all the 
villages on this side of the island, feasted over at every vil- 
lage, and at every feast a portion of each body was eaten. We 
had two hurricanes ; one on the 3d, the other on the 10th, each 
of which has done much injury to native food and property — 
three earthquakes of greater or lesser violence, the last, on Sab- 
bath, the 20th, was the most severe I have ever felt. We have 
also had four terrific thunder-storms, all of which were accom- 
panied with heavy rain. All things considered, the month of 
January, 1861, is one. not soon to be forgotten on Tanna. Na- 
tive report says that the mortality has been equally great at the 
other side of the island. ' ' 

From Mrs. M.'s letters and diary, it would appear 
that during these trying times, she not only was in 
peace, calmly trusting in her Father and her Saviour, 
but that she enjoyed such a sweet and perfect assurance 
of God's love, and her interest in the Saviour, as she 
had scarcely ever enjoyed before. We subjoin some of 
her letters. 

TO HER BROTHER. 

Tanna, Dec. 28, 1860. 
"The old year is dying away, the new year approaching, 
and who shall teU what is written in its records concerning us ? 



TRIALS AND CALAMITIES. 473 

Who shall turn over the pages in the book of futurity, and say 
thus and thus it shall be ? Before we reach another milestone in 
the journey of life, it may be said to us, the Master is come, 
and calleth for thee ! 

"Oh, my darling brother, if you are enjoying a constant 
peace beware ! Calms are dangerous and deceitful. The life of 
a Christian is a warfare. Do not be discouraged, if every day 
reveal to you more and more of the corruption of your heart, 
but pray that you may see yourself just as you are, just as God 
sees you ! Look not lightly upon sin ; rather endeavour to see 
its odiousness in the sight of God, as that which caused the 
great Creator to come to this world and die ! Oh, what a costly 
gift ! Who would refuse the pearl of great price for the vani- 
ties of earth ? 

. "I am now buried deeply in Dick's Theology, and find it a 
most readable book. Mj^ mind has been enlightened upon many 
subjects, of which no Christian should be ignorant. I long to 
be able to read the Greek Testament. Were it not for my want 
of perseverance, I might, for I have a Grammar and other books 
here ; but the truth is that the work here muSt engage all our 
attention. 

' ' Measles have been introduced by the foreigners, and the 
natives are dying ever}'' day, particularly the aged, and those 
who have been diseased before. Oh, it rends my heart to see 
them going down to the pit, when the door of life is open to 
them ; and distressing to see those who are well so unconcerned I 
Truly, they have been given over to strong delusion that they 
may believe a lie. 

"Jan. 1, 1861. Darling W., another year is now among the 
things that have been. Now, can I spend this day away from 
my home ? My heart is breaking to see you all once more. Yet 
I feel nearer to j^ou than ever. But W. dear, I do not think we 
shall ever all meet here. It would be too much happiness. Let 
us then, oh let us tread in the narrow w-ay — let us strive to en- 
ter in at the strait gate ! Let us not heed the flowers by the 
wayside ! Thei^e the flowers never fade, there is the river whose 
streams make glad the city of our God ! Oh, if I only knew 
that you had given up the world, and with your cross were fol- 
40 * 



474 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

lowing after Jesus ! it would give me unspeakable happiness. 
Do not think that I am good. Oh, no, long and severe has 
been the struggle between the flesh and the spirit ; and if left 
for a moment to myself, I must perish ! But I have been led 
to see the unsatisfactoriness of earth's pleasures, yes, to feel 
the sting they carry with them. ' He builds too low, who builds 
beneath the skies. ' Yet I have panted after the dust of the 
earth — have been content to make my home here, until by diffi- 
culties, and the stern duties of life, Grod has said, arise, this 
is not your rest ! There is no such thing here as rest ! When 
he leads us by the still waters, and makes us to lie down in 
green pastures, we shall know in its fullest extent what that 
word meaneth, and not till then. Seek it not here then, love ; 
lean not upon anything earthly, lest it give way and pierce you 
through. ' Love not the world. ' If you love Christ, be not 
ashamed to confess it to the world ! Let not the flame of piety 
in your heart be like the dim unsteady flicker of a candle ; rather 
let it be like the morning light, that grows brighter and stronger 
unto the perfect day. 

" I had a remarkable dream not long since. I thought an in- 
tensely black cloud was rising up and pending over us. The 
cloud has risen in reality. Yet I never felt so happy in the 
work, nor felt more assured that the kingdom of the enemy is 
tottering soon to fall, that Satan is now trembling for his seat, 
and mustering all his puny might before his final overthrow. 

"To-day we have set apart as a fast. The measles are raging, 
and the people one after another being cut ofi". They do not 
understand it, and talk of killing persons to revenge it. But no 
person seems to have power, and we are here- and among the 
people daily, unharmed, unhurt. It is the hand of God. 

' ' Lately I have had such longing to soar away up amid th< 
peaceful clouds, in other words, to enter that haven of rest; but 
I find that this is wrong. I do not wish to shrink from duty ; 
rather would I say, Give me sufficient grace to bear me through, 
and then command of me what thou wilt. And now if I would 
tell how my heart beats for home, and yet that I have not a de- 
sire to be there, you would not understand me. 

"I think of the choir always on Sabbath, and wish I could 



TRIALS AND CALAMITIES. 475 

blend my voice with the others. I long for the sanctuary, and 
remember when we took sweet counsel together and walked to 
the house of God in company. I very seldom sing Hinsbury, 
Arlington, or Martyrdom with a clear voLce. Very often my eye 
becomes dim. Strange, is it not ? What can be in those tunes 
to chain my voice and hold it in control ? It must be because I 
hear home sounds rushing upon my ear, and home thoughts jfill 
my heart. But you will weary of my sad strains. 

" 'Beloved, if our hearts condemn us not, then have we confi- 
dence toward Grod, and whatsoefver we ask we receive of him, be- 
cause we keep his commandments and do those things that are 
pleasing in his sight.' 'And another angel came and stood at 
the altar, having a golden censer, that he should offer it with 
the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before 
the throne. ' ' Wherefore comfort one another with these 
words. ' 

"Jan. 4. 0, darling W., my heart bleeds for these people! 
and without a thorough knowledge of the language I can do so 
little for them. Will you pray for your unworthy sister, that 
she may be found faithful ? To-day a promising young man who 
died of consumption was buried in the sea. I watched them 
performing the inhuman last, sad office, and his soul! gone, oh! 
where, into eternal torment? 0, God, arise, destroy the king- 
dom of the enemy 1 Take to thee thy great power and reign ! 

"We had a terrific storm last night. They accused us of 
making it, (!) and when they came to the conclusion that we 
did not, some supposed it was the Port Besolution people. O. 
Lord ! how long, how long, holy and true, shall the foolish peo 
pie blaspheme thy holj^^ name? Do you know, dearest, I have 
always had a presentiment that I would die young ? ' Could I 
but read my title clear,' I would long to soar away upward, but if 
I could be of service here rather would I stay, and be found a 
faithful labourer in the Master's vineyard. I should love to 
meet with you all once more. Could you see me now, how 
changed, how different, I trust, from the silly, thoughtless girl 
of former days. I have enjoyed such excellent health, and 
grown careless of myself. You will tire of my egotism, so I stop 
to-night. 



476 MEMOIR OP MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

"5. We liad a terrific hurricane — the first of the kind I have 
experienced. We had to leave our house and go to the seaside, 
taking i30ssession of a grass one for part of a day and one night. 
Next morning was so peaceful I went to the sea and washed my 
face in a little brook, and nature looked so beautiful there I felt 
sorry to ascend the hill. Our house was in a deplorable state, 
our store blown a foot or so in another direction, and my kitchen 
shattered, immense limbs of trees lying about, our fence nearly 
all down, &c. The amount of damage in the house was not so 
great as we expected, and by a little extra work to-day and 
j'^esterday we have made ourselves comfortable and begun life 
again. Oh, these flittings ! how they unhinge our affections — 
how they make us long for the home where we shall go no more 
out. 

" A peaceful, sunny afternoon, so monotonous, nothing to en- 
liven, yet, dearest, I am happy. I have no wild longings for 
home. My heart is bleeding, burning for those who are sitting 
in the region and shadow of death. Oh ! when will the blessing 
come ? When the dry bones live ? So far as we can see, mat- 
ters have gone backward with us, the last few weeks, but let us 
remember whose the work is ; and can we, dare we repine, or 
hasten it before the time ? 

" The volcano is unusually active just now. It explodes every 
two or three minutes with a terrific noise, and though we must 
be at least twenty miles from it, it seems just at our ears. A 
north wind prevails and we get a large amount of ashes, which 
destroys food, and makes everything filthy outside. 

' ' Could you and I walk together this afternoon ; could we 
gaze at the great hills bathed in the setting sunlight, or, seated 
under the shade of our ponderous iron wood, u*^e each other 
onward. Oh ! who would not be a Christian, even if there were 
no blessed hereafter? Oh, blessed be Grod's holy name, there is 
an hereafter, a heaven of rest, peace, love, and joy, where it 
will be impossible for us to sin ! 

' ' If God see fit to withhold from us many of the comforts 
and privileges of life, let us never murmur. He doeth all things 
well. Our glorious Saviour chose the poor as his followers. 



TRIALS AND CALAMITIES. 477 

Yea, for our sakes he became poor, and he says, How hardly 

shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of heaven," 

/ 

TO MISS M. 

"Jan. 7th, 1861, 
" I trust that this people will learn that Jehovah is a God not 
to be trifled with, that they who worship must worship him in 
spirit and in truth. As yet they have been Afuald^ only for the 
temporal advantages, accompanying the word of God, as they 
say, because food is more plentiful, and they have a strong de- 
sire for foreign property. Yet they are loth to part with their 
sins. Kati, our chief, said to me one day, ' It is very good for 
you and the word of Jehovah to stop here, but we cannot give 
up Kava and tobacco. We love these things.' "This people 
have no idea of a Creator ; and we cannot find words to express 
the greatness of God. They understand about providing for the 
bod}'^, but the soul is a new idea, and they wonder when we 
speak of its importance. They believe that the spirits of the 
departed walk the e^rth, and profess to have seen them. When 
a man dies all his property is destroyed. If he is a chief of im- 
portance some persons are killed to revenge his death, and some- 
times the people of the village in which he resided burn their 
houses and -remove to another ' land. ' 

" Many people are djdng from measles, introduced by foreign- 
ers. All have taken it. In some villages all are prostrate at 
one time. This is the season for plantation work, but owing to 
the sickness, it has been neglected. The volcano has been unu- 
suallj^ active, and a large amount of ashes blown over in this di- 
rection, which completely destroys food. And, lastly, we have 
had a terrific storm, which has done much injury to plantations 
and fruit trees, so that a scarcity of food, if not a famine, may 
be expected. Of course all these calamities are attributed to 
the new religion, and they have often threatened to burn our 
house down, but no one seems to have power or courage, al- 
though the day has been repeatedly appointed. We do feel for 
them ; oh, that they knew how deeply ! and would that they 
would listen to the way of salvation which we make known to 
them, though as yet imperfectly. Truly they have been ' given 



478 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

over to strong delusion to believe a lie. ' ' The god of this world 
hath blinded their minds. ' A few days since a woman, whose 
husband died, climbed a cocoanut tree, threw herself down, and 
was buried with him. Wailing for the dead is a perfect mockery. 
While death is yet struggling with its victim, the. women gather 
around, apparently without a spark of feeling, laughing, gossip- 
ing, and making preparation for the after-feast. As soon as the 
spirit has departed, wailing commences, throwing ashes on the 
head, destruction of property, while one, generally the chief 
mourner, sings the virtues of the deceased. 

' ' We have never felt more happy in the work than at present, 
or more sure that the day is not far distant when the kingdom 
of the enemy shall be overturned. As yet all we say to these 
people falls like ' seed by the wayside, ' until the blessing come. 
Oh, shall we not wrestle with Grod in praj^er for the degraded 
inhabitants of this island? Pray for us, for me, that I may not 
be a cumberer of the ground, but faithful unto death, ' ' 

TO HER MOTHER. 

" Tanna, Jan. 14, 1861. 

"Dearest M., I look very differently upon life now. I feel 
that some persons are surely praying for me, and wonderfully 
have their prayers been answered on my behalf. I feel as if 
nothing here could satisfy me now, not even a visit home to you, 
dear ones. Why is it that we forget that we were born to die ? 
that when we see our friends fall around us, we speak as if it 
had been by accident, something strange that they should die, 
and never fancy death's coming to ourselves, put the evil day 
afar off? It is an awful thing to die. Let us see to it that we 
are building on the sure foundation. Forbid that we should be 
sajdng to ourselves. Peace ! when there is no peace. Let us 
live, dearest M. , for eternity. Do not think that I write in too 
gloomy a strain, or fancy that I am good. Oh ! never was there 
a heart so bound to the world, never one who had more need of 
hiding her head in the dust than I. 

"The little girls are beginning to come about again. They 
are also improving in reading, and can spell words of three and 
four letters ; but they do not attend regularly, and some days I 



TRIALS AND CALAMITIES. 479 

have two, sometimes three-; so I fear I am too impatient, too 
anxious to see the fruit of my labours. Oh, if I may be the in- 
strument in bringing even one little heathen girl to a knowledge 
of the truth ! Yet perhaps this may never be. Yet surely the 
will will be accepted. If I know myself, there is nothing I de- 
sire in preference to a life spent in the service of Christ. 

" How I would enjoy a winter day ! Oh, how thankful I am 
that I was born in Nova Scotia, to have known the delights of 
spring, summer, autumn, and winter as they roll round ! But, 
dearest M. , ' this frame of things must end. ' Though the sea- 
sons roll round, yet we must soon quit this earthly scene. Oh, 
that we could ever bear this in mind, and live as for eternity ! 

"26. A few moments at twilight upon Saturday (the evening 
we used to love) with my own precious M. Oh, it is sweet to 
know that one is loved and cared for, dearest M ! I can never 
make any return for your kindness to me. But let us feel that 
I am just where G-od would have me ; and if I have had trials, 
' it is his will concerning me. ' And if they have brought me 
nearer to himself, and cut the cords that tied me to this world, 
what then ? It was but the sterner voice of love. Oh, dearest 
M. , I feel verj'- unfit for this high and holy work ! Some time 
since, when the cloud was passing over us, I felt as if there were 
no work for me ; but now my little girls come about again (four, ) 
and I feel so happy, because I see a decided improvement in 
them. I find that there is nothing like speaking the whole truth 
to them, be it ever so disagreeable. Oh, what a treat I shall 
have soon ! I almost count the days until the rainy season is 
past, and then for the packet of letters ! 

"Feb. 1. How precious to me is your love ! How I love to 
look back upon all your past kindnesses, and feel that I am still 
thought of and prayed for, yes. and many of your prayers on 
my account have doubtless been answered. It is sweet to think, 
tiiat though our praj-ers be imperfect, cold, and formal, yet we 
have a glorious Intercessor, and that, perfumed by his merits, 
our prayers find acceptance. Therefore let us ask, and we shall 
receive. How prone we are to forget God — to imagine that he 
is not interested in the little events of our every day life ! Oh, 
how mistaken ! whp.n it is hp who has planned them, and with- 



480 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

out liim we can do nothing. Let us unreservedly cast ourselves 
upon him. He loves openness. He is displeased when we doubt 
his willingness to save. 

' ' Many thanks for the dear old hymn book you gave me. I 
prize it very much. It is the best collection I have seen, and 
the print is large. I love hymns to read and sing in private. 
But I am regularly old blue school Presbyterian with regard to 
Psalm singing in public worship. They are perfectly adapted, 
and if we err, it is on the safe side.'^ 

Another trial followed. On the 21st of January Mr. 
Johnston died. He had arrived on the islands in ex- 
cellent health, full of life and vigour, had entered upon 
his work with great energy, and by his kindly disposi- 
tion and manners had already gained the esteem of his 
brethren, and in a large measure the confidence of the 
natives. But, as we have seen, he was suddenly cut 
down. Such was the state of excitement of the natives, 
that it was three weeks after his death before they had 
any certain information of the event at Mr. M.'s sta- 
tion. Rumours had reached them of death there, but 
it would have been at the risk of their lives, that either 
Mr. M. or the Aneiteumese should proceed thither in- 
land. Indeed the friendly natives informed them of a 
plot among the inland tribes to murder them on the 
way. Even going by water in the day time was not 
without danger. They therefore despatched the Anei- 
teumese by night, who brought back the sad intelli- 
gence. We subjoin a letter from Mrs. M. on the occar 
sion : 

' ' We had heard strange accounts from the natives of sickness 
at the harbour. It was circulated among them that Mr. and 
Mrs. Johnston were dead. Next night being calm, we sent two 
Aneiteumese through the night by water, to ascertain the truth. 



TRIALS AND CALAMITIES. 481 

They returned tliis evening with the painful news of IMr. John- 
ston's death. I cannot reahze it. And oh, what a sad time for 
Mrs. J. ! The natives are so excited about the sickness. It is 
the hand of Grod. We would willingly submit, but our loss will 
be very severely felt ; and not only that, but six Aneiteumese 
have died on Mr. Paton's premises, and others are lying very 
ill. Poor Mr. P. 's trials have been crushing. And we, oh, we 
have been mercifully dealt with ! 

•"Mr. Johnston's loss will be severely felt. How different 
(Jod's ways are from ours — the strong taken and the weak left ! 
I was not veiy strong for two or three weeks, but am quite well 
now. I over-exerted myself in putting our house to rights after 
the hurricanes. We have had a succession of terrific thunder- 
storms. Altogether, this has been a gloomy time. Yet we feel 
quite happy in the work, and look forward to the time when this 
wilderness shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. 

"Do you know, dear M., I find it very hard to put on au- 
thority with the natives ? It is quite a trial ; but it has to be 
done, or they would get the upper hand of me, which, if they 
did, you could not teach them anything. I was disappointed in 
most of the missionaries' wives. I had expected to find them 
gentle, retiring creatures. Instead of that, they seemed so ynan- 
Uke^ and spoke with so much authority. Owing to this, that 
they must take their share of the work, and coming in contact 
continually with the natives, they are apt to lose womanly gentleness 
imperceptibly. Probably only a stranger would notice it. 

"Do not be uneasy, dearest M., when you read doleful ac- 
counts from these islands of the difi"erent ' lands ' (this is a na- 
tive idiom) being at war. We are in Grod's hand. Jesus says, 
' I have all power in heaven and in earth ; go ye, therefore. ' 
This is enough. The Lord is our keeper. 

The month of March brought additional calamities. 
In that month the fine new church at Mr. Geddie's sta- 
tion on Aneiteum was burnt. This was done by one 
of a small remnant of the heathen on that island. The 
act, however, had its influence on Tanna, leading some 
41 



482 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

to believe that the Aneiteumese were rising against 
Christianity, or those hostile endeavoured to lead others 
to believe so. 

The trials of the mission, however, were not at an 
end. By the above correspondence it will appear that 
during the month of January there had been two hur- 
ricanes, but on the 14th of March there came one of a 
severity such as the missionaries on the New Hebrides 
had never experienced. 

Mrs. M. thus writes to her mother, March 18, 1861 : 

" On the 14th we were visited with a tremendous hurricane. 
Our house is standing, but a wreck, our store was blown down, 
church, and nearly all the houses by the sea-side. There is 
scarcely a vestige of the boat-house left, and the boat was driven 
some distance and smashed against a tree. The thatch upon 
our house was blown up in many places, and the rain poured 
down upon us. Our boxes and clothes are damaged, and nearly 
all our bed-clothes, particularly blankets, saturated. We have 
not had dry weather since, and everything smells very damp and 
uncomfortable. 

' ' You cannot fancy what a state our house was in next morn- 
ing, nor can I describe it. One of our windows had blown in, 
and with the violence of the gale, papers and clothes were blown 
about. The rain poured down upon bed, boxes, &c. The An- 
eiteumese left their own house, and took shelter in Kapuku's, 
but were not long there until it blew down. The natives will 
suffer, immense trees have been blown down, and large branches 
snapped off and blown about. We think worse of the church 
and boat. We have no place to meet in on Sabbath-daj'^s, and 
in a case of life and death have no boat to leave our station, but 
our house, situated as it is upon a hill, seems just standing as a 
monument of Grod's goodness toward us. We expected every 
moment it would have been unroofed; and it is blown a little to 
one side, but the new house received no damage, except the 
plaster which was nearly all washed off the outside. We re- 



TRIALS AND CALAMITIES. 483 

mained during the gale in a little porch between the two 
houses. 

' ' Our books and provisions are fortunately not destroyed. 
Altogether this has been a gloomy season, but I have never de- 
lighted more in the work than at this present moment, and feel 
that I could willingly surrender my all. 

" I never tell you one half of our troubles, dear M., what good 
would it do ? let us cheer your hearts rather than write despond- 
ing dismal letters. The work is God's, he will hasten it in his 
time, it maybe sooner than we anticipated. The poor Tannese ! 
Oh, they know not the gloTious Saviour they reject ! 

"April 13. Dearest M., since writing the foregoing we have 
removed into our new room. It is so comfort-able and light and 
clean, I feel like a different person. Dear M., at times my heart 
almost breaks to see you. I feel as if I could live no longer 
away from you. Yet I can be happy here and live in the glori- 
ous hope of meeting you in a world of rest, where there will be 
'no more sea' to separate loved ones. I cannot feel grateful 
enough to God, when I view the degradation and misery of hea- 
thenism, that I was born in a Christian land, and under just 
such circumstances, and enjoyed so many privileges. It is good 
for me too that I have borne the yoke in my youth. 

' ' Mr. M. is so well. He seems much more cheerful and hap- 
pier in the work. Had I known once that I would daily come 
in contact with such savages I would have shrunk from it, but 
God, who has assigned me this station, will give me every needed 
qualification. Missionary life on Tanna has difficulties. We 
talk to one native about the word of God. He assents to all we 
say, but seems to think that he is all right, he does nothing 
wrong. Another says, you are telling lies. Another, before 
the word of God came here, and we did the command of the 
devil, fish were plentiful, now they are scarce. They were very 
angry with us during the sickness, and threatened to burn our 
house. But we feel assured that ' they can have no power at 
all against us except it be given to them from on high,' there- 
fore we fear them not. 

' ' Since writing the foregoing I have had a little bilious at- 
tack, brought on b}' over-exertion. The amount of work I have 



484 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

gone through this season owing to sickness and hurricanes would 
surprise you. I willingly do it, but the flesh grows weak." 

The result of this hurricane was such a destruction 
of native food, that there was much want among them. 
Owing to the prevalence of sickness, the plantations 
had not been prepared as usual, and what were prepared 
were much destroyed by the hurricane, as were also 
their fruit trees. Hence there was great want among 
the natives. They, in consequence, frequently stole 
from the missionaries, and Mr. M. being at a station, 
as we have mentioned, very inaccessible by sea, and 
from the state of the dijfferent tribes, all communication 
by land being extremely dangerous, he was sometimes 
in straits for want of provision. On one occasion he 
had to send word to Mr. Paton that he was entirely out 
of European food, and in the state of his health, he 
could not use native food, and, indeed, could not get a 
supply. Mr. P. immediately filled a large pot with 
flour, as full as it could be packed, and immediately 
despatched five men, Tannese and Aneiteumese, to carry 
it overland, and some other articles. This supply lasted 
them till relieved in the manner stated in the following 
letter : ' 

"Their hatred had risen to such a height, that they deter- 
mined by every possible means to have us quit the island, as the 
only remedy for all their troubles. Having resorted to many 
expedients, all of which Grod defeated, they, as a last resort, 
(seeing that our provisions were nearly done,) seemingly re- 
solved that we should starve ; and from January until the mid- 
dle of last month, we were not able to procure ten shillings' worth 
of food from the natives among whom we live. 

" Seeing the game they were trying to play, lest they should 
consider that we were dependent on them, and should infer that 



TRIALS AND CALAMITIES. 485 

we were endeavouring to get a footing on the island not for 
them but for theii's, we concluded, let the consequence be what 
it might, that we would not ask them for an article, but would 
ask of Him, ' whose is the earth and the fulness thereof ' 

"From the first when asked by the natives what we would 
eat, we used invariably to tell them that Grod would provide ; 
and though the question was often asked tauntingly, yet finding 
that they always received the same reply, while many laughed 
at what they considered our apparent folly, others used to say, 
' well, we don't know about that, but we'll see by and b5^' 

" From the first of May we were on short allowance, and on 
the 20th, had only a sufficiency of flour to make one loaf. In 
the afternoon it was a question not easily decidedj whether or 
not it should be baked that day or left until the morrow ; but 
while considering what was best to be done, we were agreeably 
surprised to hear the natives shout, ' Sail, ho !' 

" In the evening the captain sent his boat on shore, and as he 
was recently from Sydney his vessel was still stored with fresh 
provisions, and he was thus both able and willing to supply our 
wants. In this matter we cannot but see the hand of Grod, and 
I hope we are truly grateful, not only for our own deliverance, 
but for this striking manifestation of Grod's goodness, in thus 
clearly revealing his arm as powerful to save. 

"No event has transpired since our arrival, which has more 
powerfully convinced the Tannese that there is a Grod, and that 
we are seeking their welfare, in requesting them to abandon 
their own gods and to have no god, but the God who knows all 
things." 

When Mr. Geddie heard of the massacre .on Erro- 
manga he sent the John Knox to convey the intelligence, 
and see what eifect it would have upon the natives. But 
the news had already arrived. A sandal wood boat, 
manned by a Tahitian and some Erromangans, had gone 
thither. Those on board told what had been done, and 
advised the Tannese to kill their missionaries also. 
There was much excitement in consequence. The na- 
41 * 



486 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

tives assembled from different quarters, threatening to 
kill Mr. Paton and burn his house. The friends of the 
mission had become more numerous, or their threats 
might have been carried into effect. Their rage was in- 
creased by traders telling them that Mr. Paton was 
the cause of their calamities, and advising them to put 
him out of the way. The excitement became so great 
that for about two weeks he dare not undress himself 
to sleep. 

At the same time that Mr. Geddie went over, two 
British ships of war arrived. Commodore Seymour, 
who was in command, held an interview with the chiefs, 
and gave them some good advices. With the view of 
securing the safety of the missionary, a display was 
made to them of the power at his disposal. We have 
always thought that in this proceeding there was some- 
thing of leaning on an arm of flesh, and that it was fol- 
lowed by consequences such as might have been anti- 
cipated. 

While the missionary work on Tanna and Brromanga 
where missionaries were stationed was thus in so dis- 
couraging a state, God was pleased to honour the labours 
of native teachers by a display of his saving power. In 
September the John Williams visited the neighbouring 
island of Fate or Sandwich Island, and found that the 
whole district in which the teachers were stationed, pro- 
fessed Christianity, and attended the instructions of 
the teachers. A number wished to make a profession 
of religion. After the examination of 13 candidates, 
the missionaries administered Baptism to ten, and a 
church formed there, which has since been increased 
to 40 members. 



CLOSING SCENES. 487 



CHAPTER X. 

CLOSING SCENES. 

For some time the toils and trials of her missionary 
life had been telling upon Mrs. M.'s health. The en- 
tries in her diary show that her duties were performed 
in much bodily weakness. She had for a considerable 
period been subject to an asthmatic or bronchial affec- 
tion, which however did not lay her aside from duty. 
But her constitution was becoming more delicate, and 
her health was otherwise affected. But she clung to 
her work amid weariness, weakness, and pain. Mr. M. 
had proposed her taking a period of relaxation. But 
she felt that she could not leave her work or Mr. 
Matheson. In fact he was in more need of assistance 
than she was. It was manifest that his strength, which 
had never been restored since he went to the South 
Seas, was gradually decaying. Though he was not en- 
tirely laid aside, and he was insensible of the inroads 
which his^ complaint had made upon his vigour, yet he 
was just able to drag himself languidly about to his 
work. She felt therefore that she could not leave him, 
and in the state of the work that nothing but necessity 
would justify her leaving her post. 

But now something farther occupied her attention. 



488 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON.. 

Oil the 21st of November she gave birth to a daughter. 
To the circumstances affecting her health previously, 
there had been added for some time the trials incident 
to her situation. Her aunt had strongly urged her re- 
moval to Aneiteum during her confinement. But pain- 
ful, almost dreadful as it was, to be among such a peo- 
ple at such a time, and particularly when they were in 
80 excited a state as they then were, without a single 
white woman on the island, she felt it her duty for the 
reasons stated in the following extract of a letter to 
her mother, to remain. 

" I beg of you do not be anxious about me. You 
have committed me to God. To no earthly creature do 
I look for protection. I have had a most pressing let- 
ter from aunt to visit Aneiteum, and remain there for 
some time at least. Oh dearest ma, it is very hard to 
know the path of duty ! Our hearts are here. We 
love the perishing Tannese. We desire to be found 
faithful, and not flee from our post when difficulties 
frown upon us. It would be a great work to remove 
in the little John Knox, especially the getting back. 
Mr. M. would get weak through want of proper atten- 
tion. My household and missionary duties would all 
suffer, and God is here too. The issue is with him 
alone. God has been very, very good to me. Dear 
ma, I have been brought through many dangers and 
trials, and yet they have scarcely seemed like troubles, 
the consolations have been so rich." 

So she remained. We give some selections from her 
diary during these months, showing amid her own weak- 
ness how her heart was occupied with the mission 
work. 



CLOSING SCENES. 489 

*' July 31. To-day we have set apart as a fast — for prayer both 
for ourselves and the poor benighted around. Much need have 
we to humble ourselves before the mighty King. Oh, how far 
we come short of duty, and how tender is his love toward us I 
Pity us feeble worms, O Most High ! and work in us to will 
and to do of thy good pleasure. I am wonderfully well consid- 
ering, yet weary, and do not feel as formerly. I tremble when 
I think of the prospect before me. I lean upon no earthly crea- 
ture ! Be thou my arm, Grod ! every morning, mj salvation 
also in the time of trouble ! Cover me with Jesus' robes, and 
whether life or death be the issue, it will undoubtedly be well I 

"Aug. 10. Again in the goodness of Almighty God brought 
to the close of another week. Feel a little sick every day, and 
sometimes my heart grows very weak, when I think of the fu- 
ture in this land of heathenism. Then again I am happy, leaning 
on the promises. To-night I feel very, very dull in contemplat- 
ing the work. Come, Oh come ! thou who wiliest not the death 
of any sinner. Oh, arise and plead thine own cause ! Remem- 
ber, Lord, the weakness of thy servants, who are but dust and 
ashes, and how short a time we sojourn upon the earth. De 
liver us, God ! from our enemies, make the path of duty 
plain before us. Let us have thy presence and blessing with 
us on the coming day. 

"29. Yery sick upon Saturday and Sabbath. A little better 
yesterday and to-day. Oh, what a hardened wretch am I! 
Should I not hide my head in the dust, and blush to look hea- 
venward ? I cannot express how very, very good my heavenly 
Father has been to me ! Though often sorrowful, yet I am not 
permitted to be utterly cast down. The promises are so very 
precious, and at times I so delightfully realize the truth of them. 

"Mr. M. has been poorly from cold; and still continues so. 
Lord, thou wilt spare him, if there be work for him in thy 
vineyard. Oh, cut us not down as cumberers of the ground ! 
Our desire is towards thee and thy glorious cause ! We feel so 
happy in the prospect that lies before us ; yet rejoice with trem- 
bling ! I have been enabled to commit myself entirely to God ! 
His way is assuredly the best. I feel it my duty to remain here 
with my husband, and that it would be cruel to him and a risk 



490 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

at all events, for me to go to Aneiteum. ' The Lord is my 
keeper ;' let me rest in his name ! Grood is the will of the Lord ! 
So far has he preserved, supported, and wonderfullj'^ blessed 
me. He has not brought me thus Ikr to desert me in the hour 
of pain and trouble. blessed Friend that sticketh closer than 
a brother, let me feel thy presence near ! 

" Sept. 26. Alone this evening. Mr. M. has gone to the har- 
bour to raft home some boards. Heavenly Father, keep him in 
the shadow of thy hand, and send him home in safety ! Truly, 

Holy One of Israel, thou keepest him in perfect peace, whose 
mind is stayed on thee! It is sweet to commit one's self en- 
tirely to Grod, to know and feel that he cares for the feeblest of 
his flock — that not one is forgotten by him. sweet, tender Shep- 
herd, I cast myself entirely upon thee ! 

"28. Saturday afternoon. Have felt exceedingly languid all 
day, and since attending to household duties in the morning, 
making preparations for Sabbath, have done very little, but 
glance over home papers and Registers, Like to have Saturday 
evening entirely to myself, in order to be in a composed and pro- 
per frame of mind for Sabbath. Feel very unlike my former 
active self, feel a want of energy and zeal even in God's work ; 
though my very heart does yearn over the perishing around, and 

1 do at times try to pray fervently for Grod's aid, and an out- 
pouring of the Holy Spirit. Our Father in heaven knows our 
weak and feeble frames, and yet we know that he who sows 
sparingly, shall also reap sparingly. The day is short, and in 
the cold grave to which we haste, there will be no opportunities 
of winning souls to Jesus ! Lord ! guide and revive me. 
Thou art very, very kind to me. How oft hast thou sustained 
and supported me, when sunk in troubles and dangers. Oh, 
that there were in me a heart to acknowledge thy mercies ! My 
husband was brought back in safety, and we are surrounded by 
comforts and blessings of no ordinary character. ' Bless the 
Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits !' 

"Oct. 18. I mourn when I think how worried I have been 
about trifles. How little of the spirit of the Master whom I 
protess to serve, • have I exhibited. To-morrow will be four 
years since the never-to-be-forgotten morning, when at the break 



CLOSING SCENES. 491 

of day I left my liotne ; and was severed from those I love so 
fondly, but this is a point too tender tipon which to touch. I 
have known something of life since then — have known what it 
is to live — have tasted a little of life's joys, much of its sorrows. 
Its shadows have rested heavily upon me. But wherefore should 
a living man complain ? I was reared too gently and tenderly. 
It is well to know something of the world, that we may learn to 
feel for others. 

"26. Brought again to the close of another week, richly 
crowned with mercies. Oh, I hate myself, when I consider how 
little I strive to benefit my fellow-creatures, how very selfish I 
am ! Have really not been well every day this week, and to-day 
very sick. Managed to attend to household duties, but no trans- 
lating or preparation for the Sabbath. Ever blessed be our 
covenant-keeping Grod ! for these sweet precious words, ' Like 
as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that 
fear him ! for he remembereth we are but dust, and he knoweth 
our frames. ' Lord ! remember this word unto me upon which 
thou hast caused jne to hope. Attendance at school is good, 
and the girls seem progressing. Oh, that even one were seek- 
ing Jesus ! — the way of life !" 

This was the last she wrote in her diary. 

At the close of the year, the work seemed in as pro- 
mising a state as it had ever been, and indeed some in- 
dications were very hopeful. Mr. M. thus writes on 
the 1st November. 

"By the good hand of Grod upon us we have been permitted 
to go out and to come in among this people ; arid though the 
amount of success which we have to report may appear small, 
still all things considered, we cannot but raise the voice of 
thanksgiving, and say, ' Hitherto hath the Lord helped us !' 

"We have service an hour every Sabbath morning on the 
mission premises, at the close of which I meet with the men in 
one end of the church, and Mrs. Matheson with the women in 
the other, and catechize thorn on the preceding discourse, after 
which I generally itinerate two or three hours, and embrace 



I 

492 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

evftry opportunity of speaking of Jesus, to all with whom I am 
prinleged to meet. Mrs. M. accompanies me to the villages 
near at hand. The out stations I visit alone. Some Sabbaths 
we are much encouraged, others quite the reverse. 

"The attendance at the morning service has averaged 28 dur- 
ing the year, sexes nearly equal — if any difference, a greater 
nnmber of females. The services are conducted much as at 
home, the reading of the chapter excepted. That will however 
come as soon as possible. As our collection of Psalmody has 
hitherto been, and is still very small, we do not weary them with 
the reading of many verses either before or after sermon. When 
-we came here we had but one hymn consisting of four verses. 
We have recently translated the 100 th Psalm ! 

" Our school, if such it can be called, is open every day, that 
any person will attend. Some days we have ten or fifteen, other 
days none. Of the males four have mastered the alphabet, and 
two are plodding their way through trisyllables, the average 
male attendance being but three. Mrs. Matheson has also, a 
class of Tannese girls, and the Aneiteumese residing here, of 
whom there are four, Matthew and his wife, who came with us 
as servants on our first arrival, and Talip and his wife. Of the 
Tannese girls, the average attendance is four." 

And again on the 14th January : 

"The natives in this village have now, however, more confi- 
dence in us than they ever before manifested — and are also more 
willing to believe that our mission is a mission of love — that we 
are not seeking our own or theirs, but themselves, and that their 
fjoul's salvation was the one grand object, by which we were ac- 
tuated in leaving home, and coming here to dwell among them. 
A similar state of feeling (though less in degree) is also quite 
perceptible in one or two neighbouring villages. Last year we 
were regarded as everything but good, this year the natives 
among whom we live, and over whom I hope we are beginning 
to exert some little influence, invariably affirm that I know no- 
thing of the art of making sickness, that I cannot make famine, 
hurricanes, &c. 

"In itinerating on Sabbath day, I have also much more en- 



CLOSING SCENES. 493 

couragement, e. g. in referring to my last year's diary in Jan- 
uary, 1861, I find that in some villages upon my arrival, every 
man, woman and child would clear out of sight, and I would 
not have an opportunity of speaking to one person. This year 
while many run away some few remain and listen to the word 
of God in their own tongue, with some good degree of attention. 
At another village where I sometimes succeeded in collecting a 
few individuals, yet had they been ever so willing to receive in- 
struction, they could not hear either the voice of prayer or of 
praise, owing to the fiendish yells of our enemies, and the inces- 
sant noise which they kept up by chopping, and beating with 
their clubs upon trees, old logs, &c. — at that village I have not of 
late been at all annoyed or molested. And to mention but another 
one, along the outskirts of which I seldom or ever passed, either 
on Sabbath or week daj^, without having stones or spears, often 
both, thrown at me, I can now pass and repass, not only along 
the outskirts, but through that village with some feeling of se- 
curity, and with no small degree of comfort, when permitted to 
speak to them of Jesus. ' ' 

But in the month of January the clouds returned 
after the rain. On the night of the 16th the island was 
visited by another fearful hurricane- Nearly every 
.thing in the shape of native food was destroyed, and as 
famine stared the natives in the face, the rage of the 
heathen was excited against the missionaries. On the 
morning of the 17th their infant child was removed by 
death, and on the 20th Mr. Paton's station at Port Re- 
solution was broken up. The heathen tribes com- 
menced war against those at the harbour. It seems 
that the spot on which Mr. Paton's house was situated, 
had been their fighting-ground from time immemorial. 
For several days they fought round his premises. His 
windows were smashed, his house broken into, articles 
destroyed and stolen, and his life was threatened. Mr. 
42 



494 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

Paton felt it his duty to leave, and after passing 
through serious dangers by the inland route, reached 
Mr. M.'s station. 

Dangers now began to threaten them here. But an 
incident which he records in his next letter, dated Jan. 
81, 1862, was very encouraging. 

"I beheve that more real soul- saving knowledge has been 
communicated this month, than has ever before been since the 
commencement of this mission — and there has evidently been a 
spirit of inquiry among the people, in reference to things spiri- 
tual and divine, such as has never before been displayed. The 
day before yesterday, Kapuku, our young chief, handed over to 
me all his deceased father's household gods, which fell to him 
by right of inheritance, saying that he did not require them any 
longer. These gods are simply small rude stones, which they 
supplicate on all occasions, e. g. , one is supposed to be a god of 
war, that they supplicate before going to war — another stone 
represents a god of the sea, whose favour they supplicate when 
going to sea, either for the purpose of fishing or of going from 
one island to another — one stone represents the god of sickness 
— another of storms, &c. Some chiefs have more, some less of 
these sacred stones — Kapuku had twenty, all of which he has 
given up. The receiving of these gods, or the seeing of him 
giving up his idols, has, as you naturally may suppose, ten 
thousand fold repaid all that we had endured on benighted 
Tanna. Truly the day on which an influential chief on dark 
Tanna delivered up his gods, declaring that he had no further 
use for them, may well be recorded as ' A day of the right hand 
of the Most High.'" 

But the rage of the heathen was excited. On the 
night of Sabbath, 2d February, the church was burned 
down. This, it has since been ascertained, w^as done 
by the heathen party as an act of hostility against 
Yaresi and Taura, by whom the church had been built. 



CLOSING SCENES. 495 

They also threatened to burn down Mr. Matheson's 
house. After mature deliberation the missionaries con- 
cluded to retire from Tanna. A vessel that had been 
engaged by Mr. Geddie, who had heard of the perils by 
which they were surrounded, to visit them, now appeared 
in sight. 

This vessel was owned by Capt. Burns, who, though 
engaged in the sandal wood business, has frequently 
rendered efficient service to our missionaries. He has 
carried their goods and themselves without charge, and 
has always given instructions to his captains, to do 
anything in their power, to forward the interests of the 
mission. 

Preparations were immediately made to leave the 
island. Their goods were packed up, some left in the 
house, the rest stowed in two boats. It was evening 
before all was ready, when they proceeded to sea in the 
boats, though in danger of missing the vessel. That 
night they were obliged to sleep in the boats. During 
the night they ran into Port Resolution, hoping to meet 
with the vessel. She, however, had been drifted away by 
contrary winds, and did not pick them up till the next eve- 
ning. They then set sail for Aneiteum, where they were 
heartily welcomed by Mr. Geddie and family. Ten of 
the Tannese followed them, viz., Yaresi and his wife, 
Yiavia and his wife, Kapuku and his wife, Kaiou, and 
five boys from six to ten years' of age. 

It is doubtful, however, whether the purpose of killing 
the missionaries had been so seriously entertained, and 
so deliberately planned as they had been led to believe. 
There was much talk of that nature. Their lives were 
not indeed free from danger. There was no trusting 



496 MEMOIR OP MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

what an enraged savage might do, there were some bit- 
terly opposed to Christianity, and there is no saying ito 
what length they might have gone. But had they de- 
liberately planned the murder of the missionaries, the 
latter would not have heard of it till afterward. When an 
attempt was made on Aneiteum to destroy Mr. Geddie, 
by burning his house at midnight, even the Christian 
natives, forming a large portion of the inhabitants, had 
not heard of it, and for weeks after could not discover 
the guilty. But the fact ascertained, is that they were 
anxious to get the missionaries away, but did not wish 
to do them injury. The heathen were determined on 
this, and even some of the friendly became alarmed at 
the hostility of their neighbours, and began to wish the 
missionaries gone. This was the case more particularly 
at Port Resolution. This was the cause of the threats, 
which were freely used, of burning their house and even 
of killing them if they did not leave. The whole 
design was to induce them to remove. With this view 
they also sometimes represented the friendly chiefs, who 
had promised to protect them, as plotting their destruc- 
tion.' Notwithstanding all these threats, Mr. M. had 
hitherto continued firm at his post, and never thought 
of leaving it for any apparent danger. Mrs. M. during 
the most troublous times never lost her confidence. 
Her mind was in perfect peace. She was never mo- 
lested. She won the aifection of the most savage, so 
that they were never guilty even of rudeness to her, 
and even at the worst, she records instances of their 
kindness and attention. She had more influence over 
them, than any person on the island, a remarkable proof 
of the power of womanly gentleness in the mission work 



CLOSING SCENES. 497 

among such a people, and makes us regret that Mr. Pa- 
ton during these dark days should not have had such 
assistance. 

It must be observed, however, that while the heathen 
party were so anxious for the removal of the missiona- 
ries, those who had befriended them remained friendly 
to the last. The chiefs who had pledged their honour 
to protect the missionaries faithfully fulfilled their en- 
gagements. Mrs. M. anticipated no danger, and would 
cheerfully have remained ; and Mr. M. repeatedly de- 
clared afterward that he would never have left but for 
the state of her health. Even at Port Resolution the 
friendly chiefs did not wish the mission broken up. 
And when circumstances were such that Mr. P. felt it 
his duty to leave, they still earnestly requested that 
the Aneiteumese teachers should remain, and that, as 
soon as possible, missionaries should resume their work ; 
and the faithful Abraham was willing to have remained. 
At Mr. Matheson's station a number were so attached 
to the missionaries that they left all and accompanied 
them to Aneiteum. Yaresi, who had first invited the 
missionaries there, though of standing as a chief, and 
as well off" as chiefs there generally are, died a poor mau 
on Aneiteum; and Kapuku, who just before had brought 
all his gods to the missionary, remained firm in his at- 
tachment to him, and we trust in reality to Christ, li 
must be added, that though Mr. M.'s goods were left in 
an open boat-house, it was afterward found that not a 
thing had been stolen. 

But the state of Mrs. M.'s health rendered a removal 
imperative, while his was scarcely better. By the hur- 
ricane their house, which was situated on a hill, though 
42 * 



498 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

not thrown down, was so twisted that it became open 
both to wind and rain. It was the rainy season, when 
the rain falls not even as in the copious rains of a tempe- 
rate climate, but in perfect torrents, and that sometimes 
lasting for eight or ten days at a time. There was 
scarce a spot in the house that could be kept dry. She 
had then recovered from her confinement, but was still 
delicate. She had in January a dry cough, such as 
she had been subject to. At this time she got tho- 
roughly wet, took severe chills, cough settled on her 
lungs, followed by night perspirations, — in short, she 
now had all the symptoms of pulmonary consumption. 
The exposure during her removal to Aneiteum, aggra- 
vated the symptoms, and when she arrived there, the 
worst was feared. It was hoped, however, that she 
might rally for a time, and none thought her end was 
so near. However, she gradually became worse. Every 
thing that Christian love and sympathy could suggest, 
was done to minister to her comfort. 

"Her illness," says Mr. M. "was borne with much 
patience and resignation to the divine will. From first 
to last not a murmur, not a complaint escaped her lips. 
In reference to her prospects of recovery, she often 
said that if it was God's will, she should like to be 
spared to return to Tanna with me ; adding, ' I would 
not like to see you going back to Tanna alone ; but if 
God's will is otherwise, I would rather go and be with 
Jesus. If God takes me from you, and if you will say 
that you will return to Tanna, I know that God will 
take care of you.' " 

A day or two before she died, it seemed evident to 
those around that her end was near. At the request 



CLOSING SCENES. 499 

of Mr. M., Mr. Geddie informed her of the fact. She 
received the intimation with great calmness, and said 
that there was but one thing for which she had any de- 
sire to live, and that was to do good to the poor hea- 
then around ; but if it was not the will of her heavenly 
Father, all was well. At various times she spoke calmly 
of going to her Saviour. Early on the morning of the 
11th March, symptoms of a change appeared. She then 
gradually sank, her breath growing feebler, till, without 
a struggle, she fell asleep. "She died," says Mr. Gr. 
"rejoicing in the Saviour whom it was her delight to serve. 
None could converse with her on a dying bed without 
saying, ' Let me die the death of the righteous, and let 
my last end be like his.' This world had no attrac- 
tions to her, and her desire was to depart and be with 
Christ, which is far better. If she at times appeared 
willing to continue a little longer on earth, it was only 
for the sake of the poor heathen around her. Her mis- 
sionary career was short, but it was one of much interest. 
Few women have been placed in more trying circum 
stances on the mission field, but she never complainea 
of her lot. She was the only white female on the 
island of Tanna, and she laboured among a dark 
hearted, deeply degraded and savage people. No 
member of the mission stood so high in the estimation 
of the natives, and her knowledge of the language, kind 
disposition, and efforts for their good, gave her much 
influence among them. Few men would be disposed to 
risk their lives among the natives, where she resided, 
and yet she never had occasion to complain of rudeness 
from them. She was not spared to see the fruits of her 
labours, but we may hope that they were not altogether 



500 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

in vain. May God raise up other instruments for his 
work, equally devoted to the best of causes." 

Her mother died before the intelligence of her death 
reached Nova Scotia ; and it is a curious circumstance, 
that on her deathbed she repeatedly and emphatically 
expressed strong confidence that Mary had already gone 
to heaven. She refrained from leaving any dying coun- 
sels for her, because " Mary had gone before, and she 
would meet her in heaven." 

We believe that it is unnecessary to add anything re- 
garding her mind and character. That she possessed 
superior talents, which had been carefully cultivated — 
that she had fine powers of imagination, with earnest 
practical wisdom and energy, — that her intellect was 
graceful as it was vigorous, is, we think, clearly evinced 
by what she has written. The strength of her aifec- 
tions, the tenderness of her feelings, and the depth of 
her sympathies must also, we think, strike every reader. 
The amiableness of her disposition, the engaging sweet- 
ness and attractiveness, the loveableness of her whole 
nature can only be appreciated by those who knew her, 
but will, we hope, appear in some measure from the 
foregoing memoir. Above all, she was distinguished 
by the beauty and force of her moral nature. Natu- 
rally she seemed composed of finer clay than ordinary 
mortals. But as her character was moulded by the 
universally pervading influence of love to (jod, she 
formed as fair a flower as ever beautified the garden of 
the Lord on earth — too fair, alas ! for this lower world 
— so that when her Beloved came down to His garden 
to gather lilies, one so lovely could no longer be left among 



CLOSING SCENES. 501 

the thorns, but must be transplanted to bloom in the 
paradise of God. 

At this time Mr. M. was extremely feeble. Indeed, 
it amazed every person how he could prosecute his work 
so long, while to all appearance so far gone in consump- 
tion. Yet still he persevered, and now continued to in- 
struct the Tannese who had followed him, and still to 
translate, when everybody thought that he might lay 
aside his armour. The energy of mind which carried 
him through all this is truly amazing. In June he 
went to the island of Mare, or Nengone, of the Loyalty 
group, which is considered very salubrious, with that 
hope which has disappointed so many thousands in his 
disease, of being yet restored to health. What followed 
we shall give in a letter from Mr. Creagh. 

" He intended to return again to Aneiteum on the arrival of 
the John Williams. But by the time the vessel came to this 
place, to go to Aneiteum, he was in a very weak condition ; he 
intended, however, to go ; but on my persuading him to remain 
where he was, he consented. On the return of the vessel from 
Aneiteum, he was dead. He sweetly fell asleep in Jesus, his 
precious Saviour, on the 14th instant, at 45 minutes past 12, 
A. M., our time ; twelve or fourteen hours before your time. 

' ' On his arrival here it was evident to all that saw him that 
he would not be long in this world. While here he was dili- 
gently and constantly employed in translating the gospels into 
the Tannese language, and that notwithstanding the shattered 
state of his health. Such was his close application that it was 
not before he had augmented his weakness, that I could per- 
suade him to study less. He was buoyant with the hope that 
Mr. Paton would return from the colonies in the John Williams^ 
and that he and himself would together revise his translations, 
and then print them at Aneiteum, for the benefit of the poor 
Tannese. Whilst here, he wrote out a school book in Tannese ; 
and the week before the John Williams arrived, he proposed to 



502 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

me to print.it. I readily consented, and only regretted he liad 
not mentioned the subject earlier, as I feared the vessel would 
come before it was possible for the work to be done. I began 
the book and was at work in the printing office about it when 
the arrival of the John Williams was announced to me. This 
put an end to the work. Mr. Matheson only lived a fortnight 
after the arrival of the vessel at our island. His descent to the 
grave was not marked by anything singular. His mind was calm, 
and peaceful, and happy; humbly hoping in Jesus, 'his pre- 
cious Saviour, ' and patiently waiting the will of ' his Father. ' 
Had his death occurred a fortnight earlier I should have been 
all alone with him, but a kind Providence had so arranged that 
not only should my wife be present, but also a brother minister 
and others, all of whom manifested their deep sympathy with 
our suffering brother. The burning ardour of his soul was 
sadly damped by his frail and shattered tabernacle of clay. 
Often has he shed tears over the wretchedness and wickedness 
of dark Tanna ; though in perils often by the heathen of that 
island, and driven from those shores through fear of death, yet 
Tanna was as precious to his heart as if he had received nothing 
but excessive kindness at the hands of the people. He had 
sanguine hopes that the good seed sown there would yet spring up 
and bear fruit. May his hopes be realized ! When he arrived 
at Nengone his voice was very low, scarcely above a hoarse 
whisper. At one time his voice improved a very little. This 
produced great joy in him. He appeared like a captive with his 
chains unloosened, and began to exercise his voice by reading 
aloud. I, however, advised him not to try it too much as he 
might throw himself back again. His joy was of but short du- 
ration. His throat became worse, and swallowing anything was 
most difficult. Boiled batter pudding was what he managed 
best. This I made for him every day. (My wife was away in 
Sydney and I had to be cook. ) He was with me three and a 
half months, but he could not conduct family worship once 
during that whole time. In this very weak state, and when his 
throat was at its worst, he commenced preparing Psalms for 
singing. And it was my intention, if possible, to print the 
Psalms he prepared with the school book." 



CLOSING SCENES. 503 

On Mr. Matheson's character we need not dwell. 
That he was a man of ardent piety and deep devoted- 
ness to the cause of God, must have been seen by all 
who became acquainted with him, and is sufficiently 
evinced by his labours on the mission field. That he was 
a man of extraordinary perseverance and indefatigable 
energy, is doubted by none who know anything of his 
history. That he had in a high degree those qualifica- 
tions, which, if bodily strength had been granted him, 
would, under God have rendered him a most successful 
missionary, is the opinion of every missionary in the 
South Seas who knew him. This want of health from 
the time of his arrival in the New Hebrides, however, 
neutralized his zeal and rendered his efforts apparently 
fruitless. In. fact his whole missionary career was one 
continued struggle with disease, and his periods of 
greatest strength after his arrival, were only the de- 
ceitful rallies, marking the progress of the slow but sure 
destroyer. After the expenditure of so much labour 
and means on his part in preparing for the work, and 
after so heavy expenditure on the part of the church in 
sending him forth, and maintaining him, the results may 
not equal our expectations, yet we have reason to bless 
God that under the circumstances he was able to accom- 
plish so much, and that we can see evidence that his 
labour has not been in vain in the Lord. And though 
we had seen no fruit whatever, yet this would be no 
reason whatever for discouragement. It is one of the 
most common appointments of God in his church that 
one shall sow and another reap, and we doubt not that 
the good seed sown by Mr. M. shall not be fruitless — 
that if he laboured other men shall enter into his la- 



504 MEMOIR OF MR. AND MRS. MATHESON. 

hours. " And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and 
gathereth fruit unto life eternal ; that both he that 
soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together." God 
may see fit to try our faith by delay. " Behold the 
husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, 
and hath long patience for it, till he receive the early 
and the latter rain." Let us be patient, therefore, let 
us have faith in God ! and pray the Lord of the har- 
vest to send forth other labourers into his harvest, and 
give them to reap an abundant harvest of souls. 
We feel assured that the offerings of our church to the 
God of missions on the New Hebrides' field shall not 
be in vain. All the tears by which this mission has 
been watered, the Lord hath put into his bottle — every 
sigh breathed for its desolations is written in his book 
— every prayer of faith has come up into the ears of 
the Lord of Sabaoth ! and God is not unrighteous to 
forget the work of faith and labours of love of our de- 
voted missionaries. The contributions of the church 
are to him " an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice, ac- 
ceptable, well-pleasing to God." But far outweighing 
all our pecuniary sacrifices must be reckoned those dear 
departed ; Mr. Johnston, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, Mr. 
and Mrs. Matheson, whose lives have been freely of- 
fered to the service of the God of missions on these 
islands. " Precious in the sight of the Lord is the 
death of his saints," and shall five such lives be as no- 
thing in his sight; or be without fruit? Oh, no; "pre- 
cious shall their blood be in his sight," and crying for 
mercy to the perishing heathen, will yet be answered in 
salvation to them, and blessings to the church ! 



APR 7 1902 



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